


Lost in Translation

by Lady_Arkytior_of_Dunans



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - BeastTale, BT!Sans is a great big puppy, Beasts are strict ABO, Cultural Differences, F/M, Monsters are lite ABO, PMS Fluff and Comfort, Pack Dynamics, Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader trying to figure out how she fits into ABO Dynamics, human reader, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:43:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Arkytior_of_Dunans/pseuds/Lady_Arkytior_of_Dunans
Summary: Learning how to overcome the cultural differences between Humans and Monsters is difficult enough, but Beasts are a whole different issue. You get along well with your Monster friends and your Beast friends, and they are all happy to help you understand their cultures and learn as much as they can about your's. You just wish you knew how to handle your crush on Sans the Skeleton Beast.





	1. Monsters and Beasts and Bears, Oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ!!! If you guys have already read the Chapter "Lost in Translation" in my story Undertale One Shots, then you can go ahead and skip chapter 1 here. It's just a repost. The story picks up in chapter 2.  
> If you haven't read any of my Undertale One Shots, then please check it out. I am open to requests for AUs and situations.  
> Enjoy!  
> Edit! My brand new Chibi Beta ariinya14 has helped me with Editing this chapter. We will be going through and editing chapters 2-4 as well before I post chapter 5. I promise it really is coming, it's just a work in progress. Between IRL craziness and trying to figure out what happens next, it might take a little while. I know what happens, but trying to get it all down smoothly is not easy. I hate it when my characters make things difficult.

Several years ago, the magical barrier on Mount Ebott was broken and Monsters came to the surface. It didn't take long for integration to become the big issue that everyone was talking and arguing about. There were humans who were against it, but there were far more supporters. Between the child ambassador and the human organizations who fought for equality, rights were quickly earned for the more humanoid monsters. Then there were the less "human" monsters like Moldsmals and Froggits and other breeds who couldn't usually speak human languages. They had some problems proving their sentience for a while but eventually gained citizenship rights as well, even if they were limited.

But Monsters weren't the only ones who came out from the Mountain. There were the Beasts. Apparently, the "Beast Monster" was an anomaly in monster genetics. They're not sure what caused it. Past research indicated that the parents' Beast status influenced the likelihood of Beast children, though it's not the only cause. Two Beasts would most likely have a Beast child, though it was entirely possible for them to have a Monster child. Likewise, two Monsters would most likely have Monster children but were capable of having Beast children. In some cases, parents would have several children that matched their own status and then one who differed. It was no surprise when the scientific community began delving into this. Because Monsters were made mostly of magic, they couldn't simply look at DNA and genetics.

But of course, this caused dozens of problems for Beasts Monsters gaining rights. Even in the Underground and monster society as a whole, Beasts were treated differently. Not treated badly, just differently. It mostly came down to how instinctive and aggressive Beast Monsters could be. While most Monsters were protective of their territory (i.e. their homes, families, and prized possessions), Beast Monsters were on a whole different level.

You had learned a lot about monsters when your best friend Leah met a Monster named Alphys. They were quite possibly the two biggest nerds you had ever met. Alphys was small, even for a regular monster, at only 4'11", and you could see how her size had impacted her self-esteem. She was always a stuttering mess unless she was talking about something she was truly passionate about. With Leah, that was anime. Those two would get started and they would both talk so fast that it's a wonder they were even able to understand each other. With you, it was monsters. You grew up loving fantasy stories and magic, though you had a different view than most people. You wanted to be a princess so that a dragon would kidnap you. Not because you wanted a prince to come and save you, but because you thought living with a dragon would be the coolest thing ever.

When you finally admitted this to Alphys and began asking her about the science behind magic and monsters, she cheerfully began bombarding you with answers and explanations. She even let you borrow some of her scientific journals from the Underground. Of course, most of this went over your head, but you still avidly absorbed all the information you could. It was when you asked about Beast Monsters that she grew hesitant. For the first time since revealing your curiosity, she paused before answering. After a moment of silence, she quietly offered to introduce you to some of her friends.

First was Undyne, another Monster, who stood at a more average 6'3". After introductions and a brief, if foolish, arm wrestling match, Undyne dubbed you and Leah as new members of her Nerd Herd. This was the group of "weenies" who she vowed to protect and tease mercilessly.

Then came the Skeleton Brothers. They were the first Beast Monsters you had ever seen, let alone talked to. It didn't take long to realize that they really were just people, despite their monstrous size and shape. Sans was short for a Beast Monster at 7'10", while Papyrus was a whopping 12'5". Their phalanges were pointed as if to mimic claws, their skulls lengthened to give them snouts, and they each had a tail that was long enough to drag along the ground behind them. So, yes. They both looked terrifying. And yet, Papyrus was the sweetest person you had ever met. He was like a giant puppy!

Sans could still scare you sometimes, but only because he was the alpha and alphas could be pretty damn terrifying. Beast Monsters followed an ABO dynamic that was tied to their magic. While both skeletons were alphas by nature, Sans was the protector of the two, making him The Alpha. You knew better than to test him and his alpha-ness, but you enjoyed teasing him. You genuinely found his jokes funny and were willing to joke back with him. This led to the two of you becoming close. Very close.

You weren't completely sure where you stood with him at the moment. You'd thought you were pretty close friends, but he'd been acting strange and distant lately. You did your own research into Beast interactions thanks to the journals Alphys loaned you, but you couldn't find anything that matched. Maybe it was less of a "Beast Thing" and more of a "Sans Thing". It took awhile, but you finally managed to get Alphys alone to ask her.

"W-what do you m-mean?" she asked. "I haven't n-noticed anything."

"Really? He hasn't seemed weird at all?"

"N-not really?" she shrugged. "I m-mean, define w-weird."

"Well, frankly, he's been a grump. He hardly spends time with me, or even around me, for that matter. And when he does, he barely tells jokes anymore, and he's constantly complaining about things."

"What kind of things?"

"All kinds of things. Like, he complains about All The Things. Food, clothing, how I look, how I smell," you frowned. "Saying it out loud, it sounds like he's just complaining about me."

"O-okay, but, like, _how_ is he c-complaining?" You gave her a confused look. "L-like, food. W-what does he s-say when he c-complains about f-food?"

"I suggest we get food from someplace, and he refuses and insists we get food from somewhere else, but he'll never tell me where he wants to eat. One place isn't healthy enough, another is _too_ healthy. He doesn't like the way this place smells, and that place has one server with a really bad attitude."

"W-what about clothes?"

"He says things like _'you're wearing too much, you'll overheat,'_ or _'you're hardly wearing anything, you're going to freeze,'_ or even _'that color makes you look sickly'_. He wears the same thing every day! He has no room to talk!"

"H-how you look?"

"Some of it is with the clothes, but he'll always comment about how I have bags under my eyes or how my hair is looking greasy even when I just showered."

"Smell?"

"I smell too sweaty. I smell too much like perfume. I smell too much like nature."

"Hm..." She put her hand to her mouth to look like she was thinking, but you could see the smile she was trying to hide.

"So? You know what's going on, right?"

"I th-think so, but I'm n-not sure. I don't want to s-say something if I'm wr-wrong. I'll t-talk to him about this and l-let you know."

"But it's not something bad, right?" you asked nervously. "He hasn't decided that he just hates me now?"

"No!" she all but shouted. "I'm sure it's n-nothing like that!"

"Alright. I'll head home then."

"S-see you! Be s-safe!"

With that, you were out the door. You knew you were probably overreacting, but you loved being friends with the Skeleton Brothers. Papyrus was so sweet, you loved doting on him as much as he loved doting on you, and you loved curling up and watching comedies with Sans. Not to mention the massive crush you had on the elder brother. You huffed a sigh, got in your car, and drove home. You would let Alphys talk to Sans and pray that this whole situation would work out for the best.

* * *

The next day, you were up bright and early like always. You walked out your front door and locked it behind you. You loved to watch the sunrise as you stretched for your morning run. Once you were finished, you took off. Running along the trails through the woods by your house was always an adventure.

You raced through the trees, listening to the birds sing as you went. You loved nature. You didn't always love to be in it for long periods of time, but you enjoyed these short excursions. You got to see some pretty interesting animals sometimes.

You were a fair way into your run when you yelped as your ankle gave out, and you tumbled to the ground. Had you tripped on a root or something? You couldn't see anything when you looked on the trail behind you, but your ankle was really starting to throb. You pressed on it gently in a few spots as it started to swell.

"And now I have a sprained ankle," you huffed. "Great." You sat thinking for a few minutes, trying to decide whether you should pull out your phone and call someone for help, or just suck it up and try to hobble home.

You were pulled from your thoughts by a loud sound you had never heard in person before. Your eyes snapped up to the large grizzly bear that was far too close for your liking. You knew that bears could be found in this general area with how close you lived to the mountains, but they didn't usually come this close to civilization. Why was it so close? You shut your eyes tight to avoid eye contact and curled up into a ball. That was what you were supposed to do, right? Eye contact was a challenge that would cause the bear to attack and making yourself small made you seem unthreatening. Right? You could hear noises that sounded like the bear moving toward you, but you were too scared to look.

You jumped and whimpered when you felt its breath blow past your face. It was right next to you! You stifled a scream when it let out a loud growl. This thing was going to eat you!

Another growl sounded nearby, causing you to curl up tighter. Was there another bear? Were they going to fight over you? Or maybe they would just eat you together. The bear standing over you growled louder before letting out a roar that sounded a bit farther away. You peeked an eye open to see it standing upright in the most menacing pose it could manage. The other creature snarled and tackled the bear in a blur. You clamped your eyes shut again as you heard the two animals fighting.

Wait.

That blur was blue.

You wracked your brain, but you couldn't think of a single animal in this area that was blue. Maybe it was a white wolf that looked blue? That didn't seem likely.

You hesitantly peeked your eye open again, only to freeze in shock.

A long, skeletal Beast stood on all fours, razor-sharp fangs bared, blue hoodie torn from the short scuffle. It was Sans! Part of you was thrilled to know that he was there and would protect you, but another part was frightened. You always saw the skeleton brothers standing upright, as the only buildings they entered were ones that could readily accommodate their size. This was the first time you had ever seen Sans on all fours. His long tail whipped from side to side, cutting through the nearby vegetation. You flinched when he opened his mouth wide to snarl at the bear. You had never heard such ferocious sounds from him before.

Hell, you'd never heard such ferocious sounds from anything.

You had always known what they were capable of, but this was the first time you had seen anything like this. For the first time, you could understand why so many people were so scared of Beast Monsters.

The bear lunged at Sans and the fight began. They swiped and snapped at each other with so much ferocity as they snarled and wrestled. You couldn't tear your eyes away from them, wincing whenever one of them got a good hit in against the other. It felt like an eternity, watching fangs and claws flash in the early morning sunlight that filtered through the trees.

Finally, Sans got his mouth around the back of the bear's neck and bit down hard, crunching through bone and snuffing out the bear's life. He dropped the animal and stared at it on the ground for a moment before looking up. He froze when he locked eyes with you.

"S-Sans?" you whispered, and his whole demeanor changed. He lowered himself so he was practically crawling on the ground, head low and tail wrapped around him. He looked like a kicked puppy. You had a hard time reconciling this sweetheart with the animal who just snapped a grizzly's neck like a twig. If he wasn't still covered in scuffs and bits of the bear's blood, you would think he was a totally different person.

He let out a soft whimper when you didn’t say anything else and hesitantly took a step forward, still on all fours.

"A-are you alright?" You winced when your voice cracked. You asked because you really were worried about him being hurt, but part of you wondered if he could even speak when he was like that. Did he still think coherently when he acted so animalistic?

"fine," he said softly. "you hurt?"

"Twisted my ankle. Pretty sure it's sprained." He nodded.

"can...can i carry you home?" He looked so scared that you would say no. You almost did. Instead, you closed your eyes so you could work through this internally.

Sans was a Beast Monster. You had always known this.

Beast Monsters were capable of being incredibly ferocious. You had always known this, too.

Sans had never acted aggressively toward or around you before. He put on a bit of a show when you first met him and his brother and again when he first welcomed you into his den. But that was Alpha posturing, nothing more.

Sans was only violent just now because he was protecting you. You were about to be attacked by a bear, and Sans fought it off.

Sans saved your life.

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding and opened your eyes to look at Sans. He was in the exact same position as before, still looking scared that you would run away screaming.

"I would really appreciate that," you said as clearly as you could. Sans seemed to perk up a bit now that you didn't look quite so frightened anymore. He stood upright but still stayed crouched as he slowly approached you. He gently picked you up and cradled you to his sternum.

He didn't say a word the whole way back to your house, though you could feel a gentle rumbling in his chest. It almost sounded like he was purring. You wanted to break the silence, but you didn't know what to say. Should you make a joke to ease the tension? That might just make the tension worse. Should you thank him for saving your life? Maybe you shouldn't bring up such a heavy topic just yet. Should you make a comment about the weather? No, just no. What could you say? Hell, he wouldn’t even make eye contact with you!

All too soon, Sans walked up to your front door. He stood there, shifting from foot to foot like he didn't know what to do. He still avoided eye contact.

"do, uh, do you want me to just open the door for you?" Sans was always so confident that it was a little unnerving to see him like this. Was he really so upset about scaring you? You supposed it made sense. You wouldn't want your friends to be scared of you either. Well, you would make sure Sans knew that everything was alright.

"Actually, would you mind helping me? I need to wrap my ankle and-" He didn't let you finish. He brought his tail around to slip the elastic band holding your house key from your wrist and quickly unlocked the door. While your house wasn't built with Beasts in mind, it was fairly old with rather tall ceilings. Sans stooped through the door but had plenty of room to stand at his full height.

He still hunched over.

He quickly moved to your couch and gently set you down. Before you could even get comfortable, he disappeared, only to reappear a few seconds later with his arms full of pillows and blankets. He quickly situated you with several pillows behind you and two more to elevate your leg. Then he laid the blankets on you one by one until you told him you had enough.

"so, um, how do we wrap your leg?"

"There's a bandage roll in the bathroom closet. Could you-" Once again, he was moving before you could finish. A second later, he was back with the bandage. You started to wrap your ankle and instructed him on how to do it so it wasn't too tight. He was quick to finish the wrapping.

"is there anything else you need? food? water?" He almost sounded desperate as he crouched down beside you.

"I'll be fine, Sans. I just need my phone so I can call out of work."

"right." He nodded before racing off to get you your phone.

"Sans," you called with a smile, "I have it right here. It's in my pocket." He slipped back into the room looking a little sheepish.

"uh, right." He rubbed the back of his skull, moving back to your side to help you sit upright.

“Thank you, Sans,” you said as you pulled out your phone and punched in your boss’s number. “You really didn't have to do all this.”

"oh." His shoulders dropped in...disappointment? "right. i'll just go, then." He turned to the front door, leaving you utterly confused.

"You don't have to leave," you insisted.

"no point in staying," he said quietly. "you don't need me."

"I don't need your help right this second, but I certainly appreciate it." He paused at that. "And I definitely needed your help in the woods."

"it was nothing," he mumbled, though he turned back to face you.

"It was not nothing, Sans. You saved my life. I may not need your help every second of the day, but I'm always happy for your company."

"so you don't mind if i stay?"

"Of course not! I may not understand everything about Beasts, but I know that your Alpha instincts must be going crazy with me being hurt." He chuckled in agreement before finally giving in and walking back over to the couch and curling up on the floor in front of it. You quickly made the call to your boss telling her you were hurt and wouldn't be able to make it into work that day and then settled down with Sans still close by. You sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company until Sans spoke up.

"are you afraid of me?" The question was so quiet you barely heard it.

"No." Your tone left no room for argument. "I was scared in the woods because I was almost attacked by a bear and because I had never seen you like that. I was already an emotional mess and seeing that didn't help. But I know you, Sans. I know you would never hurt me. I know that you acted like that to protect me. I can't say that I'd ever like to see you all snarly and ferocious again, but that's because I'd rather not be in a situation that called for it. I don't want to see you like that anymore than I want to be attacked by a bear."

"so i'm like a bear?"

"No, you're not like a bear. I wouldn't let a bear into my home, I wouldn't let a bear help treat my injury, and I certainly wouldn't hug a bear." You reached down and wrapped your arm around what you could reach of him and hugged. "So no, I am not afraid of you. I trust you, Sans."

"i'm glad."

"How did you even know I was in trouble?" you wondered aloud as you yawned. The adrenaline rush was finally over and left you exhausted.

"i always monitor your runs."

"You watch me when I run? Not gonna lie, Sans, that's kinda creepy." There was no hostility or venom in your voice, partly due to your exhaustion and partly because you meant it when you told Sans that you trusted him.

"i don't watch you," he huffed. "i monitor you. i stay in the woods near the trail you always take and keep track of all the sounds and smells. i started heading toward you when i heard you fall, so i was able to get there pretty quickly once i caught the bear's scent."

"And why do you monitor my morning runs?" You caught sight of a blue glow on his cheekbones.

"to make sure you're safe."

"Aw," you cooed tiredly. "That's so sweet." You switched to a lighter topic, and the two of you talked until you finally fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

You were startled awake by a deep growl. You sat up and looked around as fear began to creep in. Sans was standing nearby, back down on all fours, growling at the people standing in your open front door.

"Sans," you heard Undyne say in her 'captain' voice. "Let. Us. In. NOW." Sans snarled in response.

"Quit being so stubborn!" Leah's voice came next. "She's my best friend! Let us in!" You could hear Alphys stutter something as well, but you couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Sans?" He tensed up at the sound of your voice, growl cutting off. He didn't turn away from the front door, though.

"Hey!" Undyne shouted. "You alright in there? Sans won't let us in!"

"I'm fine. Well, sort of. I sprained my ankle. What are you all doing here?"

"You were supposed to meet me for breakfast," Leah called.

"Shoot! I forgot! I'm sorry, this morning was a little crazy! Sans, it's alright let them in." He didn't move. "Sans, it's just Leah, Alphys, and Undyne." He didn't even twitch.

"W-what h-happened?" Alphys's voice was barely loud enough to hear.

"I sprained my ankle on my run this morning. Sans brought me home and helped me take care of it."

"What else?" Undyne demanded.

"What-?"

"He wouldn't be acting like this if you just sprained your ankle. I might not be a Beast, but I'm an alpha too and I have plenty of experience handling Beasts of all orientations. Something else had to happen for him to not be backing down."

"I...may have been attacked by a bear."

"WHAT?!" they all shouted, pulling another warning growl from Sans.

"I'm fine! It didn't touch me! I sprained my ankle and it found me. It got closer than I would have liked, but Sans showed up and saved me."

"Sans fought off a bear?!"

"No wonder he's acting like this," Undyne muttered barely loud enough for you to hear. "We're going to close the door and wait out here. You try to calm him down, and let us know when we can come in."

"What? But-"

"Relax, nerd! You can handle this." With that, the door closed. Sans still growled at it.

"Sans?"

No response.

"Sans, they're outside, and they're not coming in."

Still nothing.

"Sans, please look at me?"

That seemed to get a reaction. He stopped growling and slowly turned away from the door to face you.

"Can you help me?" You held out your arms to him, and he quickly came over. He helped you sit upright and rearranged your pillows and blankets so you were comfortable with your leg still elevated. It unnerved you a bit that he was still crouched down on all fours and refused to make eye contact. You tried to think of what you could say to figure out what was going on and how to keep him from tearing your friends apart, but you were drawing a blank. What could you say? Instead, you decided to poke him. One quick but gentle tap to his forehead had him blinking in confusion. Then you poked his cheek, then his nasal cavity, and he finally made eye contact, looking utterly bewildered.

"There you are," you giggled. "Are you alright?"

"fine," he muttered and looked away again.

"No," you whined. "If you keep looking away, I'm going to keep poking you!" You poked him in the shoulder to emphasize your point. He ducked his head and looked back up at you.

"sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. I'm just worried about you. You don't usually act like this."

"i know, i just..." he looked down, only to snap his eyes back up to your face like he was afraid you would get upset if he looked away. "i want to make sure you're safe."

"Of course I'm safe. You're right here. I know you'll protect me." Tension seemed to leave him at your words, but his eyes darted to your ankle.

"but i didn't."

"I sprained my ankle because I wasn't watching where I was going. You protected me from the bear, but I doubt there is anyone alive powerful enough to protect me from my own obliviousness and klutzy nature."

"i guess," he chuckled weakly.

"And you know that those three," you jerked your thumb towards the front door, "are friends. They won't hurt me."

"i know."

"Then why were you keeping them out?"

"you're hurt."

"Okay...? They'll help take care of me." He opened his mouth, only to close it again. "Sans, I’m not angry or anything, I'm just confused. Start at the beginning."

"leah showed up after you missed breakfast with her. she said she called you, but i turned your phone off after you fell asleep. didn't want it waking you up. i told her you were hurt, and she tried to come in. i stopped her, we argued, then she called alphys and undyne. when they got here, undyne tried to force her way in by being more alpha than me."

"Yeah, I remember her saying something about how she's an alpha, too. I thought only Beasts had ABO orientations."

"no, monsters have them too, just not as strong. undyne has alpha tendencies. she was able to learn how to hone them when she became the captain of the royal guard so she can act like an alpha to beasts. it's easier to calm an upset beast when their instincts are telling them to listen and obey. this was the first time she ever used it on me. didn't work too well." He sat up a little straighter, sounding more than a little smug about that. "then you woke up."

"So, are you going to let them inside now?" He let out a soft but clearly unhappy growl. "Sans, they're not going to hurt me."

"i know, it's just..."

"Just...?"

"you're hurt. you need to stay in your nest and heal."

"My nest?" You looked down at the blankets and pillows piled around you on the couch. Huh. That did look pretty nest like. Sans blushed.

"not- i mean- you know what i mean."

"I'll stay in my nest," you told him with a gentle but teasing smile. "I don't have to get up if they come in."

"it's dangerous to let too many people into your den, er, home when you’re healing." His voice started to sound strained and a little growly, and you could see his tail twitching behind him.

"Sans, I'm trying to understand, but I'm still a little confused. I'm not a Beast. I'm not sure all of this applies to me. I mean, company usually helps me feel better when I'm sick or hurt."

"not a beast," he repeated quietly. "right. not a beast. i'll go let them in." He took one step towards the door then paused, forcing himself to stand upright and made his way to the door. Had you said the wrong thing? You just couldn't figure out what was going on with Sans. Why was he suddenly being so attentive when he had been all but ignoring you recently? Was he feeling guilty because you were hurt?

Sans slunk back into the room and curled up on the floor next to the couch as the three girls followed him in. You looked up at them, confused by their expressions. Leah was smirking at you, looking far too pleased with herself, Alphys had stars in her eyes, and Undyne had a hand clamped over her mouth in a failed effort to muffle her snickers.

Alphys snapped out of it first.

"U-um, d-do you mind if I t-take a l-look at her ankle?" she asked Sans. Why did she ask him? It's your ankle. Sans just nodded. Undyne finally managed to control herself as Alphys walked over to your ankle and began looking it over.

"So," said Undyne, "how exactly did you get attacked by a bear?"

"I told you," you huffed, "I was on my morning run and I tripped and sprained my ankle."

"Come on, nerd! I want details!"

"Fine. So I'm sitting there on the ground, trying to decide if I should call for help or if I can get home on my own when I hear this loud growl. I look up, and there's a grizzly standing ten feet away from me. I didn't want to risk provoking it, so I shut my eyes and curled into a ball. It got closer and sniffed at me, and that's when Sans showed up. He took it down before it could hurt me."

"Aw, how sweet!" Leah still sounded smug about something, and it was starting to bug you.

You were about to give her a very snarky reply, but you were cut off by a loud rumbling growl. Undyne whipped her head around to look at Sans, ready to stop whatever had upset him. Sans just looked confused as Leah laughed at your embarrassment. You blushed and clutched at your stomach.

"How l-long has it b-been since you l-last ate?" Alphys asked.

"Um, I had a late lunch yesterday afternoon. I was going to meet Leah for breakfast after my run, and I was so tired after everything when Sans brought me back that I guess I just forgot." Alphys shook her head in exasperation and began pouring healing magic into your ankle.

"Why don't you get her something to eat?" Undyne suggested, and Sans fidgeted.

"can't just leave her here."

"Don't worry about it! We'll all stay and keep an eye on her till you get back! That sound good to you?"

"yeah, sure," he grumbled, then turned to you. "what do you want to eat?"

"I don't care," you shrugged.

"so what should i get you?" Sans asked with a frown.

"Something edible? I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult. I just don't feel like eating. I know I need to so I will, but I don't really feel like anything in particular."

"you have to pick something," he demanded.

"Sans, I really don't care. And hey, you haven't eaten either, have you? Why don't you just grab something you like and get some for me, too." He looked like he wanted to argue, but he snapped his jaw shut.

"fine," he muttered. "i'll be back." He turned and left through your front door, leaving you to wonder over his strange attitude.

"I can't b-believe it!" Alphys's squeal broke you from your thoughts.

"Believe what?" you asked.

"I can't believe it either," complained Leah. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell you what?"

"Cause she didn't know!" Undyne responded with a shit-eating grin. "Sans hasn't said anything to you, has he?"

"About what??" You were starting to get annoyed.

"R-remember what you were asking m-me about y-yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"W-well, this is it. Th-this is why Sans has b-been acting weird."

"Yeah, that tells me nothing," you frowned.

"He's courting you!" Leah said like she was talking to a toddler.

"No, he isn't."

"Yes, he is!"

"He really isn't."

"He really is!"

"No, he isn't! He hasn't shown any courting behavior!"

"How do you know what Beast courting behavior looks like?" Undyne asked.

"Because I did research! I started looking into Beast behaviors when Sans started acting weird. I couldn't find anything in any known records that matched."

"And you looked into courtship behavior because...?" Leah asked.

"Because I have a massive crush on him," you groaned with a blush. "You know that."

"Yup! But I just wanted to remind you." Like you could forget!

"We didn't! This is awesome!" Undyne crowed.

"W-wait, d-does Sans know that you kn-know?"

"I don't know. I mean, I haven't said anything, but-"

"Then that's it!" Leah shouted. "Think about it! If some human guy started getting all possessive and controlling, would you be okay with that? Like if he started insisting that you only eat the food he brings you? Or forced you to stay in your house? Or made you wear his clothes so you smell like him? Of course not! You’d kick his ass. But if Sans did that kind of stuff?"

"That's different." You blushed. "Beasts don't stay possessive and controlling. They do all that to show that they can care for and protect their mate. Plus, it's an instinctual drive. They can't just turn it off."

"But if he doesn't know that you know," Undyne groaned, "then he probably thinks you wouldn't be okay with normal courtship behavior."

"H-he's trying to c-court you in a human way!"

"But his instincts are telling him to do things one way and his brain is telling him to do things differently!" Leah looked so damn smug.

"Th-that's why he k-kept talking about y-your clothes and w-what you eat. He's trying t-to take care of you in a more h-human way." You sat there for a moment, just taking all of that in.

"You're wrong," you whispered. "You have to be. He's been avoiding me."

"Probably because he doesn't want to seem overbearing," Undyne shrugged.

"Hah! Over _bear_ ing!" Leah chuckled. "Sans would like that one."

"And what if you're wrong?!" They all jumped at your outburst, surprised to find tears in your eyes. "What if he isn't trying to- to-" You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to calm down. "What if he was avoiding me and complaining because he doesn't want to be around me? What if he's only taking care of me now because he feels guilty or something? What if he's only trying to keep me safe because he feels like it's somehow his responsibility?" You sniffled as the tears rolled down your cheeks. The three of them stood in silence for a few long moments.

"Hey." Undyne's voice was the quietest you'd ever heard it. "I trained for years to read Beasts properly, so I know how to treat them and respond to them without antagonizing anyone's nature. I've also known Sans for years. If there's one thing that I can say about that Alpha Beast, it's that he's a lazy asshole who can't be bothered to put forth effort for anyone." You let out a watery chuckle. "Except for those he's claimed as pack. Sans will do anything to protect his pack. Papyrus told me that when he was younger, Sans was ferocious about his safety. It wasn't until Papyrus grew up to be an Alpha himself that Sans finally eased up.

"Sans wouldn't be watching out for you if he didn't genuinely care about you. He certainly wouldn't be doting on you like this if you weren't a part of his pack. If you were just a friend to look out for, he would have taken you to the hospital or something. He would NOT have made you a nest and then stayed to personally guard you against any and all potential threats."

She paused to let you absorb all of that.

"Maybe we are wrong," she continued. "Maybe he's not trying to court you. But I'm willing to bet my other eye that he is. He's gotta care about you a whole lot if he could tell you were in danger and got to you that quickly."

"He was already nearby," you told them. "He said he monitors my morning runs. Sits in the woods nearby and stays alert for trouble."

"And you think he's NOT courting you?! What part of _'Sans is a lazy asshole'_ did you not get?! Do you really think he would be up that early to watch out for someone he's not completely crazy about?!" Leah and Alphys giggled at Undyne's outburst. It even startled a chuckle out of you.

"I guess I'm just scared," you admitted. "I don't want to make a move or something and lose my friend."

"B-but you don't have to make a m-move. Just be r-receptive to him." You looked up at Alphys as she finished healing your ankle. It wasn't back to 100%, but it felt a lot better. "Whether he's t-trying to court you as a h-human would, or he's j-just taking care of his p-pack, he's s-still an Alpha Beast. Let him t-take care of you and sh-show him that you t-trust him."

"You do trust him, don't you?" Leah asked.

"Of course I do. And I told him so when you guys were waiting outside."

"Good."

"Alphys is right. Alphas are driven to be in control when they're caring for someone. I doubt he would respond well to any move you make one way or the other."

"So I'm just supposed to lie here like a lump?"

"Think of it more like you're being pampered," Leah shrugged.

"And what if I say something that upsets him?" You frowned. "Again."

"Again?"

"When he first brought me home, I told him that he didn't have to help me, and he almost left." Undyne and Alphys both grimaced. "He only stayed when I explained that just because I don't need his help doesn't mean I don't want his help. I think there were some other things I said that upset him too, but I have no idea what."

"Wait!" Leah shouted. "What if you did the same thing?"

"Say things that upset him?"

"No!" she groaned. "He's trying to court you like a human because you're human. He's making an effort to do things the 'human way'. What if you responded like a Beast?"

"Oh." Your mind began whirling. Would that work? _Could_ that work?

"Huh. That's actually not a bad idea!" Undyne gave Leah a hearty slap on the back, making her wince.

"How would I do that?" you asked the monsters. Before they could answer, there was a loud thump against your front door.

"I'll get it," Undyne called as she darted to the door. You watched her swing it open, but you couldn't see anything past her tall frame. There was a beat of silence before Undyne began cackling, causing the three of you to jump. You grabbed Leah and used her as a crutch to pull yourself up so you could limp along with them to see what was going on. When you reached the door and shoved the still laughing Undyne out of the way, you saw what had set her off. Sans stood there with a blue glow on his cheekbones and a large buck in his hands.

"i told you to pick something. you said you didn't care."

"You caught a deer?" you asked. That thing was huge!

"would've brought the bear, but it's not fresh, and i'm sure the scavengers got to it by now." You just stood there, leaning on Leah, not quite sure what to say.

This was definitely a Beast thing to do. It was pretty common for Beasts to feed their pack. Omegas prepare and serve, Betas share, and Alphas provide. But catching something just for you? From what you read, Alphas tried to prove themselves to their prospective mates by hunting big prey to show they can provide. Was this a courting move? Maybe your friends were right…

"look," Sans growled. "just pick something. pizza? burgers? what do you want?"

"No!" You finally snapped out of your daze. If this was a courting move, you had to respond properly. If he was making an effort to do things the 'human way' for you, you could accept anything he did the 'beast way'.

"This is fine!" you told him. "It's great! I've had venison before. I really like it." He looked skeptical. "Really, Sans. I told you I didn't care what you brought me and I don't." That sounded bad. Reword it! "I mean, I just asked for food, and you brought me a deer! A really big deer." He seemed to stand a little straighter. Good! He knew you approved of and accepted his gift! "I just...I mean, I don't know how to go about skinning or gutting it."

"Don't worry," Undyne wheezed as she finally calmed down. "I can help with that. You should be resting, anyway. You go back inside, and I'll help this dork with his catch"

"Alright," you agreed. "But only prep enough for me, the rest is for Sans."

"but-"

"No buts! I haven't forgotten that you need to eat, too. You've wrestled and killed a bear, been taking care of me all day, and caught a rather large buck with a very impressive rack of antlers. I'll eat and rest, but you have to do the same!" He ducked his head with a nod before following Undyne around the house to the backyard, deer in tow. You frowned but hobbled back to your couch/nest with Alphys and Leah.

"Did, um, did I say something wrong?" you asked.

"Not at all!" Alphys cheered.

"But the way he left? I didn't upset him, did I?"

"No! You're sharing food with him! Food he caught for you!" The only time Alphys didn't stutter was when she was excited. You tried to share it, but you were still nervous.

"Come on!" Leah joined in. "He brought you a deer! That is totally courtship behavior!"

"Maybe..."

"T-trust me, it is! If he just saw you as p-pack, he would have b-brought something else. He wants your approval!"

"So I wasn't crossing a line by demanding that he eat?"

"Nope!" Alphys practically squealed.

"Think about it," Leah added. "You accepted the food he brought you and insisted he share it with you. Not to mention you complimented his skill as a hunter by commenting on the antlers."

"I'm sorry, did you not see the size of them? A rack like that deserves to be hung on the wall!"

"Oh! B-be sure to tell him that!"

"Alphys," you said. Her smile dropped at your serious tone. "I know your mind is going wild because you are shipping me and Sans pretty hard, but please be honest. Do you really think Sans is doing all this because he likes me? Do you really think he's trying to court me?" Her mouth settled into a grim line of determination.

"I do," she said in the clearest, most confident voice you had ever heard. "I s-suspected it when you came to talk to me y-yesterday. After seeing all of this," she waved her hand at you and your nest. "He made you a n-nest, stayed by your side, guarded your h-home, and brought you food. He hunted for you! Sans r-really is incredibly l-lazy. He wouldn't have h-hunted for you if he didn't want to impress you."

"Yeah," Leah agreed. "He probably would've gotten Grillby's or something."

"W-what about you?"

"Me?"

"How do you f-feel about all of th-this? I know you l-like him but remember to b-be honest."

"I-" You paused, really thinking about things for the first time. How did you feel about all of this?

"Hey." You all looked up to see Undyne poking her head in from the kitchen. "Food is ready. I told Sans to leave it outside. He doesn't want to cook his, and I didn't think you'd want to deal with the mess from him eating that deer inside."

"Thanks, Undyne," you smiled. The fish lady smiled back as she scooped you up and carried you through the kitchen and out the back door to an anxiously waiting skeleton Beast. Most of the deer was still in one piece, but Sans was holding what looked like a giant turkey leg. Leah and Alphys joined you all outside a moment later carrying a chair which Undyne set you down on.

"here," Sans huffed as he handed you the chunk of meat. "wasn't sure how humans eat it, so undyne searched on her phone. cooked it with fire magic, so it should help you heal. will one leg be enough for you? i can cook more if-"

"Sans, this is plenty!" you assured him. "This deer is huge. I'm not sure I'll be able to eat this whole leg." You were not exaggerating. "Smells good, though." You leaned down and took a big bite.

The taste was indescribable.

"does it taste bad? i didn't use any seasoning or anything. just used magic. if the flavor is wrong i can cook more. i don't know which seasonings you like, but-"

"Sans," you interrupted once you finally swallowed the bite. "Kindly shut up and let me enjoy this." You then proceeded to utterly devour as much of that delicious leg as you could. As you ate, you noticed Sans start in on his portion. That was a slightly disturbing sight, so you decided to focus on your own meal while he ate his. You made it about halfway through when your stomach finally called it quits.

"You know I love you like a sister," Leah said, "but watching you eat that was kind of terrifying."

"That was amazing," you groaned in satisfaction. "I can't eat another bite. You want the rest of mine?" you offered the leg out to Sans. He gratefully accepted and scarfed it down in two quick bites.

"Well," Undyne all but shouted. "Now that this has all been sorted, we should probably get going." You waved goodbye to your friends as they went on their way and Sans carried you and the chair back into the house. Sans made sure you were settled back into your nest, carefully arranging the pillows and blankets for maximum comfort.

"so," he said as he scratched the back of his skull. "i'm, uh, glad you're feeling better. i'm sorry about all the craziness. i can leave now since you're doing alright."

"Actually," you said, remembering something from your research, "I'd really like it if you stayed. You've done so much for me, I'm sure my ankle will be healed up in no time. Why don't you stay here and rest?"

"you sure?" He looked hesitant and more than a little excited.

"Positive. We can even move the nest to the floor so you have somewhere soft to sleep."

"but what about you?"

"The couch is soft enough. Or I could join you?" You tried to sound confident, but you were starting to get nervous. You trusted Alphys, but your insecurities were starting to whisper in your ear. Sans either didn't notice or didn't care because he got literal stars in his eyes as he scooped you up along with all the bedding. You giggled madly as he situated you in the new nest on the floor. It wasn't quite as comfortable as the couch, but then Sans curled up around you in a big ball of warmth and comfort. You felt the end of his tail wrap around your good ankle as you slipped into the deepest, most restful sleep you'd ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys liked this, then please check out cinnabun's story "the big bad woods". It's a companion fic to this one about BT!Papyrus!


	2. Bed and Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up the morning after the "Bear Incident" and now it's time to figure out exactly where you and Sans stand on this whole "courting" thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you so much for being so incredibly patient. I had a few large projects to deal with at work and with some volunteer work that I do. I also had to do a lot of reworking on this story. I wrote a huge chapter as a part 2, but it was simultaneously rushed and too long. You can expect chapters of about this size from now on since it'll be a full story now.  
> Enjoy!

You groaned and stretched as you woke up. You slowly opened your eyes, blinking against the early morning light. Why were you sleeping on the floor of your living room? A painful twinge in your ankle quickly reminded you of everything that happened the day before. You had spent most of the day sleeping and you had a sneaking suspicion that you had some help in doing so. You wouldn't put it past Sans to use a little healing magic to help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

Speaking of Sans, you distinctly remembered falling asleep next to him yesterday. You sat up and looked around, but you couldn't see any trace of him. Had he left? No. If he was courting you then he wouldn't just leave without saying anything. Your anxiety and doubt whispered that you were being ridiculous. Of course he wasn't _really_ trying to court you, and you were foolish for thinking he was.

You shook your head, forcing those thoughts away. This was no time to feel sorry for yourself. You trusted Alphys and Undyne, and they both seemed convinced that Sans was courting you. You could even see it yourself when you looked at his behavior logically. You wanted this and you would not chicken out.

Still not seeing any sign of Sans in your house, you decided to look for him. Using the couch, you slowly pulled yourself up onto your good leg, gently easing some of your weight onto the sprained ankle. Huh. There was still some pain, but the injury felt like it was weeks old rather than a day.

You hobbled over to the kitchen when you heard a muffled voice come from that direction. You peeked into the room and saw Sans through the window of the back door. He was standing outside talking on his cell phone. You couldn't hear what was being said, but you could definitely hear Papyrus's voice coming through the speaker.

You were able to relax now that you knew where Sans was, so you decided to start your day. You carefully made your way to the stairs and gripped the railing tightly as you climbed up to the second floor. You managed to make it to your room and change into some work out clothes without injuring yourself further.

You sat down on your bed to put on socks and sneakers only to jump and squeak when Sans burst into your room looking more than a little panicked.

"Um, Sans?"

"you're alright."

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I just came up to get dressed."

"you should be downstairs sleeping in the nest."

"Sans, I slept all night and most of yesterday. I got plenty of sleep."

"then don't sleep but at least rest."

"I don't need to keep resting," you said gently with a roll of your eyes. "I'm feeling much better."

"what are you wearing?" he demanded.

"Uh, work out clothes?"

"why?"

"To work out in?"

"you're hurt. you shouldn't be working out."

"Fine, 'working out' was probably the wrong thing to say. I'm not going to run or do anything strenuous. I just want to go for a walk and get some fresh air."

"you shouldn't leave the d- your house." A blue blush faintly tinted his cheeks as he corrected himself.

"Sans, I'm fine. I just need some air."

"open a window." You frowned. You knew he wasn't trying to be a smart ass, but that's exactly what he was being.

"I'm going to get cabin fever if I don't go outside and stretch my legs." His eye sockets widened and he began to look slightly panicked again.

"fever? what kind of fever? do you need medicine?" You weren't sure whether to giggle at him or facepalm at yourself for using that term.

"Relax, Sans. Cabin fever isn't a real fever. It's the idea of feeling trapped." You took a moment to explain exactly what the term meant and where it came from. "And before you panic," you stopped him as he opened his mouth to retort. "I'm not in danger of anything serious from being cooped up in the house. I'm just saying that if I have to stay inside for too long I'll get antsy and uncomfortable."

"fine," he grumbled dejectedly. Then a thought hit you.

"Would you like to come with me?" He perked up. "Since I'm sure you're going to monitor my run, er, walk anyway, why don't you walk with me? We can talk to pass the time and you'll be right there if anything happens." You sat there silently as he stared back at you. You just hoped that you weren't committing some Beast faux pas.

"heh," he chuckled. "normally i'd pass. i'm just too lazy to go running. but, since you're **_walking_** instead of running and you're only going a _**short** _ distance, " he gave you a significant look as he emphasized those words, "i'll join you." So, Sans was going to babysit you to make sure you didn't overexert yourself. Oh well, at least you would get to spend time with him.

"Sounds good!" You said as you gave him a bright smile.

"but first," he said as you finished putting on your socks and shoes. "you need to eat. i'll make you some breakfast. even without monster food, adding some of my magic while i cook it should help heal your ankle."

"I actually have monster food," you said cheerfully. "Well, I suppose it's not technically monster food. Everything I buy is human food infused with magic. Not enough for a monster to live off of, but enough that you can eat it." He seemed shocked for a moment that you had bothered to keep food in your house that he could eat. "I mean, if you were planning on hunting something again-"

"no. i was just going to cook some of the food you have here. i know you humans need a balanced diet to stay healthy."

"Cool!" There was something about the situation that was niggling in the back of your mind, but you pushed it aside for the moment, carefully standing up. Sans hovered in the doorway. "You want to carry me downstairs, don't you?" You heaved a sigh.

"kinda. don't want you to fall on the stairs."

"Fine." You huffed out a long-suffering sigh. "If I _must_ bear the burden of you doting on me, then so be it." He chuckled as he quickly scooped you up and carried you down to the kitchen. He set you down in a chair at the table before darting around the room to gather his ingredients.

You watched him as he prepared breakfast and thought back to that niggling sensation from before. There was nothing wrong with Sans wanting to cook for you. Sure, he was usually too lazy to offer to do something like that, but you just chalked it up to his Alpha instincts still running high from your injury.

Alpha.

That's what it was! Alphas aren't the ones who prepare the food! In traditional Beast courtship practices, Alphas hunt and supply the food while Omegas are the ones who prepare food for their potential mate. You snuck a glance at Sans's face to try and gauge his feelings on the situation, but he seemed relaxed enough.

You knew he was working to do things the 'human way' for you. Maybe he was happy that he found a compromise? Preparing food is still a way that Beasts prove themselves to their potential mates. You decided to just accept it. If Sans was happy taking care of you like this, then who were you to argue. You felt your mouth turn up in a soft smile as you watched Sans use fire magic to cook whatever he was making for you.

"here you go," he said as he set your plate down in front of you with a flourish. Your mouth watered as the delicious scent of fresh baked quiche reached your nose. The little, personal-sized quiche looked delicious.

"This looks and smells amazing!"

"glad to hear it. eat up." You grabbed the fork he offered you and eagerly dug in. Finally, you managed to come up for air.

"What about you?" you managed to ask between bites. "Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"

"nah, i'm not all that hungry."

"You're just too lazy to make another quiche, aren't you?"

"heh, what can i say?" he shrugged. "making that quiche left me _eggs_ -hausted." You giggled at the pun and took another bite.

"Just make sure you remember to eat. You only ate yesterday because I made you eat the rest of that deer."

"fair enough. and speaking of that deer, i'll clean up the mess in your backyard. i ate anything worth eating yesterday so no scavengers have come by yet, but i'll clear away the bones so they don't come sniffing around anyway."

"The skeleton is still out there?"

"well, it's more a pile of bones than a skeleton now."

"But the skull is still there?"

"yeah, why?" He gave you a funny look.

"Well, I wanted to keep it. I have this friend at work who goes hunting and sometimes mounts trophies. I want to ask him to help me mount the antlers."

"why?" Sans seemed so confused.

"Because it's impressive! That was a very large ten-point buck that you took down! It would be a waste to just throw that rack away!" You blushed as your nerves started to come back. "I understand if you want to take the antlers. It was your kill after all. I just thought that they should be mounted and shown off."

"you want to mount the antlers of the deer i caught you?"

"Yes..." Hadn't you just said that? "Is that alright with you?"

"yeah, yes, of course. they're yours. i caught that deer for you. it was a gift."

Was Sans's flustered reply.

"Cool!" You beamed at him and took another bite of the delicious quiche. "But you went and distracted me. You are going to eat, right? Hunt something or pick up something from Grillby's? Right?"

"meh, don't worry about me. i'll be sure to eat something."

"Why don't I believe you?" He just gave you a shrug and a shit-eating grin. "Here," you insisted. You used your fork to cut off a large piece of quiche, stab it, and hold it out to Sans. "I can share." He looked at the piece of quiche on your fork and then at you. You sincerely hoped that he would pick up on what you were doing.

Alphas provide, Omegas prepare, and Betas share. You didn't read too much about Betas when you did your research, but you did remember that much. Betas would often share meals with their potential mates to show equality, solidarity, and trust.

Sans slowly leaned forward and swept the food into his mouth with his tongue.

You smiled as he swallowed the piece whole with no problems and went back to enjoying your home cooked breakfast. Sans sat down in a chair next to you and rested his head down on the table. He looked to be dozing off, but from the way his tail kept twitching behind him, you knew he must be thinking hard about something. He didn't react when you finished eating and began washing your plate, so you decided to leave him to ponder in peace while you finished cleaning up the kitchen.

"hey," he gently called as you put away the last freshly cleaned dish.

"Hey yourself. Enjoy your nap?" He must have realized you knew he wasn't actually sleeping because he scratched the back of his skull sheepishly.

"uh, yeah. you ready to head out?"

"Yup!" You wiped your hands off on the dishtowel you had been using and tossed it onto the counter. Sans tossed you your house key and led you out the front door.

Once outside, you took a moment to do a few light stretches and enjoy the early morning light.

"Come on, Lazy Bones," you called as you started down the trail. Sans gave a playful warning growl when you started power walking. He wrapped his tail around your waist and pulled you back to a slower pace. You smiled at him as his tail gently released you.

You walked side by side down the winding path, just enjoying the stillness of the early morning. The silence between you wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, but you did want to talk to him. You wracked your brain, but you just couldn't think of a way to start a conversation.

"so." Sans beat you to it. "what are you plans for the day? you're not going to work yet, right?"

"No, I already had today off before all this happened. I think I should be good to go back tomorrow at the rate I'm healing. You did a really good job taking care of me."

"alphys is the one that healed your ankle."

"But you're the one who carried me home, wrapped my ankle, built a nest for me, helped me sleep, and caught and cooked a deer for me." You paused, only to cut him off as soon as he tried to respond. "Oh and then there was the bear that you fought and killed to protect me." You smirked at him as he snapped his jaw shut and blushed.

"you sure you'll be alright working tomorrow?"

"Like I said, I'm healing fast. And I'm sure Leah has let slip exactly _why_ I was out yesterday so if I don't go in people will be calling me all day to make sure I'm alive or whatever. And I'm sure they'll want to hear all about you."

"you'll tell them about me?"

"Of course," you replied slightly confused. "You're kind of a big part of the story. I can't really tell them what happened and why I healed so quickly without talking about you."

"hmm..." he hummed softly

"And I have to go in so I can ask Ben to help with those antlers. I'd like to get them hung up as soon as possible."

"you're really serious about that, huh?"

"Of course I am. Those antlers are awesome and they have an awesome story! I was hurt and hungry so you brought me a whole friggin deer!" He chuckled. "You don't mind, right? That I want to keep them?"

"no!" he said quickly. "i told you, the deer was a gift. you like em, you keep em." You beamed back at him, thrilled with the confirmation. You distinctly remember from what little research you did that gift giving was definitely important in Beast courtship.

You kept walking down the path again, this time keeping your mouth shut to keep your twitterpated brain from making you blurt out something to ruin the moment. Sans kept pace with you, staring directly ahead as he walked next to you. You were about to ask him what was wrong when you felt something touch your hand. Your gaze snapped down to see the tip of Sans's tail lightly touching your palm. You gently curled your fingers around the appendage and looked forward, cheeks hurting from smiling so wide. The end of Sans's tail curled around your hand, holding it gently as the two of you walked on.

"so..." Sans started. "i've got a question for you."

"Alright."

"are you seeing anyone?" You nearly tripped as his words caught you off guard. After so long of the both of you dancing around the subject, it was downright shocking for him to just come out and ask.

"N-no." But he knew that.

"so, would you be up for going on a date?" He was beating around the bush.

"Depends on who I would be going out with." You were still nervous as hell, but you wanted him to say it.

"me." You could see his cheekbones tinge blue. "i uh, i've been meaning to ask you out for a while now. wasn't sure if you were interested and didn't know how to show you i was interested. tried to show you like a human, but you guys are all over the place so i'm not sure if anything i did got through."

"You're not wrong," you giggled. "We are all over the place, but it did get through. Eventually. And I do appreciate the effort, Sans, but you didn't have to go to the trouble."

"well, i couldn't just court you like a Beast. you'd think i lost my mind." He frowned. "or maybe not. i'm not so sure anymore. you've been doing a lot of things that were just..."

"Beastly?" He snorted a laugh. "Honestly, I've had a crush on you for a while. Then one day you started acting differently. I did some research on Beast and Monster behavior, but I couldn't find a match." You blushed. "I even read up on courtship behaviors thinking that's what was going on. But it didn't match. So, I went to ask Alphys if she knew anything. That was two days ago. Then yesterday happened and I didn't know what to make of it. I was just glad that you weren't avoiding me anymore. Then the girls came over and we talked while you went hunting."

"that's when you started acting different."

"Leah suggested that since you were trying to do things the human way, I should try to do thing the Beast way. Undyne and Alphys said it was a good idea, so I went with it."

"they told you what to do."

"No, I just tried to mimic what I read about Betas and Omegas. I didn't read a lot, but I managed to pick up a few things." You both walked in silence for a few long moments before Sans spoke up.

"so if i did something now that was an Alpha thing, you'd be okay with it?"

"Within reason, yeah."

"will you go out with me?"

"Yes." You shrieked and giggled as he scooped you up and spun you around, nuzzling into your neck.

"you have no idea how long i've wanted to do this. i'm sorry i stayed away but i was worried i'd do something like this and scare you off."

"It's fine, Sans," you said as you nuzzled him right back. "I'm just glad this whole thing is over."

"oh, it's far from over. i'll show you i'm the best mate you could ever want!"

"Is that so?" you asked, still laughing.

"yup! and i'll start by showing you my awesome nest-making skills. my nests are so soft and cozy that you'll want to lay in them all the time and never do anything."

"I that your excuse for being lazy?"

"yup. that's my story and i'm sticking to it."

"Shut up and kiss me, you nerd." And he did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Please remember to leave comments to tell me what you thought.


	3. Search for Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days since the whole Bear thing happened, and now your friends want details!  
> Then it's back home for some serious research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was a LOT of world building for this one. Hope you guys like it!

You sat in the coffee house with Leah, enjoying some light conversation as you sipped your iced tea. Unfortunately, you couldn't completely relax. Leah hadn't said a word about the "Bear Incident" yet and she hadn't asked about how things went between you and Sans. You knew the interrogation was coming, you just didn't know what she was waiting for.

The peace was instantly broken when the door was kicked open by a tall fish woman carrying a smaller yellow lizard on her back. You gaped at Undyne's abrupt entrance and Leah calmly waved her over. Well, that answered _that_ question.

"What's up, punks?!" Undyne asked. She set Alphys down in a seat at your table and then plopped down into the one right next to it.

"Uh, not much?" It came out sounding more like a question than an answer. "What, uh, what are you guys doing here?" You were hoping to get a little more peace before the questioning began.

"I invited them," Leah said proudly. "We need to have a serious talk."

"About what?" You played dumb.

"Come on!" Undyne complained. "Don’t hold out on us! Tell us how things went with Sans!" Alphys squeaked and nodded her head in agreement.

"There’s really not much to say," you muttered. "It’s only been a few days since the "Bear Incident". I don't know what you guys were expecting." Frankly, you were surprised it had taken them this long to finally corner you for information.

"Anything!" Undyne threw her arms up in a huff.

"So after we left, nothing happened?" Leah demanded.

"Well, I mean..."

"Yeeees.....?" prompted Undyne.

"He carried me inside after you guys left and he was about to leave. I asked him to stay with me a while longer."

"A-and?" Alphys urged you.

"And we moved the nest from the couch to the floor and he stayed with me." Your three friends all squealed so loudly you were amazed that none of the glass in the store broke.

"How is that nothing?!" Leah demanded. "That is totally something!"

"I didn't say 'nothing happened', I said 'there's not much to say', and there's not."

"So how much longer did he stay?"

"He stayed the night. And before you start, we just cuddled!" The three of them snickered and Alphys blushed.

"And what about the next morning?" You could practically see the stars in Leah's eyes.

So, you explained it all to them. You told them about waking up alone and being relieved to see Sans was still there. You told them about breakfast and asking him for the deer skull so you could mount the antlers. Then you told them about how you convinced him to go for a walk with you. When you finally got to the part where he asked you out, Undyne jumped up from her seat, nearly flipping the table in her joy.

"YES! I KNEW IT!! I freakin told you he was courting you!"

"Yes, yes, you were right." You rolled your eyes.

"So?" Leah prodded. "Did you say yes?"

"Of course I said yes! You know how long I've been crushing on him!"

"Where are you guys going for your first date?"

"I told Sans that our first date should be more "beastly". He worked so hard to act human that his instincts are going nuts, like they want to compensate for the fact that he hasn't been doing things the "right" way. And the fact is, he's a Beast. If I can't handle and accept that part of him then a relationship will never work out between us."

"Look at you being all logical and smart," Leah teased.

"Th-that's a really g-good idea. I only kn-know of a few instances where Beasts have d-denied their instincts like S-Sans has, and it won't end w-well if he keeps it up. The l-longer he resists, the more likely he is to sn-snap later on. If s-something triggers his instincts, even something s-small, he could get f-feral."

"Really? I didn't know Beasts could get feral."

"It's not common," Undyne explained. "I saw it happen a few times underground. When something happens to make their instincts stronger than their conscious mind, they snap and go feral. It usually only happens to Beasts who are older or really sick or injured. You can't reason with a feral Beast. All they know is what their instincts tell them. That's part of the reason why I'm still the head of the guard up here. With my natural Alpha disposition and my training, I can usually get through to Beasts enough to calm them and deal with whatever problem caused them to go feral in the first place."

"Is it permanent?" Leah sounded scared to ask.

"Depends on what triggered them. If it's illness or injury, then it's usually pretty easy to bring them back to themselves. Sometimes when Beasts and Monsters get old, our minds just start to go. Not much you can do about old age."

"That can happen with humans too. Senility and dementia."

"Well when that happens with Beasts, their instincts take over to protect them. At that point, the change is permanent, but not necessarily dangerous. The guard gets called in and we work to calm the Beast and take them somewhere isolated and safe."

"You isolate them?" That didn't seem like a good way to handle the elderly.

"It's the safest thing for everyone. Feral Beasts don't trust anyone who isn't Pack. We take them someplace where they can hole up and feel safe away from any and all perceived threats. Then it's up to their Pack to check up on them."

"But you said that denying his instincts for a long time could trigger Sans?"

"Y-yes. Refusing to act on his i-instincts doesn't make them g-go away. The longer he d-denies his instincts, the more stress and pressure b-build in his magic. It's like putting too much air in a b-balloon. Eventually the pressure becomes too much and-"

"POP!" Undyne shouted, making the three of you jump in shock. You shot her a glare before turning back to Alphys.

"But he wouldn't be dangerous though, right?"

"Not to you," Undyne smirked. "You're his potential mate. He would probably kidnap you and hole up in his den with you. But he would become violent to anyone who tried to take you away. He'd probably even get a little crazy if you tried to leave."

"B-but!" Alphys piped up with a big goofy grin. "That w-won't happen if he's not constantly r-resisting his instincts."

"Yeah, nerd! You've got nothing to worry about! The two of you make a great couple!"

"We're not a couple yet," you grimaced. "Sans made that very clear. He's taking me out on a date. That's it." Undyne scoffed.

"Don't worry about that, it's just a Beast thing. There are a whole bunch of different stages in Beast courtship and his instincts are just going overboard with them now. He's probably still worried he's gonna scare you off."

"I c-can give you some m-more science journals to read if you'd l-like. Th-that way you know w-what to expect."

"That would be wonderful, Alphys," you smiled gratefully at the small monster. "Now I think we've talked enough about my love life. What's been going on with you guys?"

* * *

A few hours later, you were finally home. You were glad for the chance to see and talk with your friends, but they could be exhausting. You trudged through your front door, locked it behind you, and then dropped down onto your couch. You were beat. 

Normally, you'd be able to handle a few hours with your friends no problem, but after the last few days, this was the last straw. You barely managed to convince Sans that you were well enough to go back to work yesterday. Then you were interrogated by your coworkers. You were right that Leah let a few of your more gossip-prone coworkers know exactly why you called out, but she had conveniently left out everything except the fact that you survived. You ended up telling and retelling the story several times yesterday. Between that and the number of questions you were bombarded with, it's a wonder you managed to get any work done at all.

Finally, you could take your Saturday to relax. You sat up enough to glance around your house, careful to make sure you were really alone. You told Sans that he was welcome at your place, but you didn't want him to just let himself in when you weren't home. Fortunately, it seemed that his instincts let him respect your boundaries. You quickly shot him a text to let him know you were home and alive. You wouldn't put up with the I-need-to-know-where-you-are-at-all-times thing for long, but you were willing to let it slide while he got his instincts under control. He wasn't too overbearing, so you were happy to shoot him a text every few hours to put his frazzled mind at ease. You pulled out your laptop and logged into your email. Sure enough, there was an email with several large attachments from Alphys. Part of you was eager to dive into all of this new information on Beast Courtship, but the other part just wanted to be lazy. 

You were broken from your inner debate by the text chime of your phone. You took the distraction and glanced to see who it was. 

**The Beast**

**glad 2 hear. u have fun?**

 

**You**

**Yeah, it was nice to hang out with them.**  
**Even if they did interrogate me about us. ;)**

**Have you decided what you want to do for our date?**

**The Beast**

**been thinkin. have idea think u'l lik**

**You**

**Does it involve using full words and sentences? Cause that would be nice :P**

**The Beast**

**hans 2 big**

**You**

**No, they're not. I was there when Alphys gave you and Papyrus your phones.**

You rolled your eyes. Alphys had worked to make special phones for Beasts once they all got to the surface and gave Sans and Papyrus early access, so you knew full well his phone was big enough for him.

**The Beast**

**oops 4got**

**well i do have an idea. i think u'll like it. u have any plans for next thursday night?**

**You**

**I work that morning, but I get off at 3. No plans after that.**

**The Beast**

**gr8. i'll set everything up.**

**You**

**Do I get to know?**

**The Beast**

**nope. its a surprise.**

**You**

**Alright, I guess I'll just have to wait then.**

**I'll let you get to planning. I have some stuff to do anyway.**

**Plus, work was pretty tiring yesterday, so I'm gonna rest too.  
**

**The Beast**

**tiring**

**?**

**u need nething?**

**i can come ovr**

**u hngry?**  

You giggled at how quickly he resorted to fretting over your well being. 

**You**

**I'm fine. Just going to relax and be lazy.**

**The Beast**

**that sound like gr8 idea**

**have fun**

**You**

**Will do. Have fun planning our date.**

**The Beast**

**;)**

You smiled down at your phone one last time before locking it and tossing it aside on the couch. You would eat an early lunch and relax first, if only so Sans wouldn't freak out later, and then you would start in on all the information Alphys sent you.

* * *

 

> _Beast courtship is a long and drawn out process. This is due mostly to the fact that Beasts mate for life. Please note that this is not an exaggeration. The bond between Beast and mate is strong and very powerful, regardless of the race/species of the mate. This bond is believed to be unbreakable, even in death. The long process of choosing a mate ensures that both parties are truly compatible._
> 
> _It is common for Beasts to lose luster in their lives when their mate dies. Some Beasts will fall down when their mate dies or shortly after. Some may turn feral as their conscious mind is not able to cope with the loss and their instincts overpower them. Others may become highly depressed, losing the will to do anything. The only examples of Beasts continuing on after the death of a mate are found in parents of young children. When a Beast has one or more offspring to care for, their instincts will drive them to keep going while still mourning their loss._
> 
> _Another benefit to the long courting process is that it gives ~~Monsters~~  (Non-Beasts) a chance to understand true Beast Nature. While Monsters have their own instincts and instinctual drives, they are a world apart from the intensity of Beast instincts. Many potential  ~~Monster~~  (Non-Beast) mates underestimate this intensity and discover after a time that they cannot cope with that as an aspect of their relationship. Some  ~~Monsters~~  (Non-Beasts) may become hostile toward a potential Beast mate if they do not understand just how demanding Beast instincts can be. They may even lash out if they believe the Beast is acting a certain way out of spite or disregard for them. The long process ensures plenty of time for this discovery before a true Bond is created._

Well. That was certainly something. You glanced ahead to see that Undyne wasn't kidding about how many steps were involved in Beast courtship. Well, at least that meant you and Sans had plenty of time to figure out if you were right for each other. But it also made you realize something.

Beasts don't do casual dating. 

If a Beast was going through the effort of courting someone, it was because they viewed that someone as a potential mate, as someone that they could and wanted to spend the rest of their life with. You weren't quite sure how you felt about that. Sure, you'd had a crush on Sans for a while now, but you weren't ready to get hitched! Well, neither was Sans according to this science journal. He thought that maybe you could be married some day, and he wanted to put in the effort to see if it could work. That meant all the more to you when you thought about just how lazy Sans could be. 

Now filled with Determination, you plunged back into your research. Now it was time to read up on each step to Beast courtship!

* * *

It was several hours before you finally got through everything Alphys sent you. It was time for a break. You felt like you were back in college, avidly reading text books and taking notes. You put your laptop and notes aside and stood up with a stretch. Your back popped in a few places and you let out a sigh of relief. You hadn't realized how stiff your back had gotten during your long study session. You walked into the kitchen, smiling when you saw the beautiful rack of antlers on your kitchen table. Ben had gladly agreed to help you mount them. Now you just had to figure out where to display them. 

But! That was a job for later. Another day or two of sitting on your kitchen table wouldn't hurt them. You took your time as you went about making yourself an afternoon snack. It was just a little too early for dinner, and you weren't quite ready for a full meal yet anyway. You diced some veggies and poured a tiny cup of your favorite dressing to dip them in, letting your mind wander.

Alphys had marked the second article in the list as highly important with a little note that said you _had_ to read it before delving into the levels of Beast courtship. The little note insisted that reading that would help you to understand one of the things that made Beasts so different from Humans and even Monsters.

Apparently, the ABO Dynamic of Beasts went deeper than you ever thought.

The section you read explained that Beasts fall into one of two rolls in a relationship: Dominant or Submissive. It wasn't a sex thing, per say. It was more like how the Beasts naturally act and react to their mate. Alphas tended to be the Dominant, but they could also be the Submissive with Betas or other Alphas. Likewise, Omegas were generally the Submissive, but could be dominant with Betas or other Omegas. Betas generally had a 50/50 chance of being either Dominant or Submissive. They tended to fill in the gap with an Alpha or Omega mate, and it could go either way for two Betas. In theory, an Omega could also be the Dominant to a Submissive Alpha, but there were no recorded cases of that.

It was a bit easier with a Beast/Monster relationship, because Monsters had ABO tendencies, not set instincts. The Monster in the relationship usually just fills in the roll that the Beast doesn't. If the Monster isn't able to do that due to their own nature or instincts, then it just proves that the two aren't compatible. You wouldn't lie and say you weren't a little unnerved when you first started reading that section, but Alphys had given you a very well written paper. It explained that the Dominant wasn't controlling, but that their instincts simply drove them to care and protect. You knew that Sans was a Dominant from the way he was acting. He went out of his way to monitor your runs to keep you safe, he fought the bear to protect you, and he defended your house when you were hurt.

No, it was the Submissive part that got to you. When you had first started reading, you were worried about what being a Submissive meant. Were you supposed to stay at home all day like a little 1950's house wife? Were you expected to just obey like a pet? Your fears were quickly assuaged when you kept reading. Being the Submissive actually meant that there was less expected of you. Submissives usually took care of the food prep and such because they wanted to care for their mate. When Monsters and Beasts prepare food, they infuse some of their own magic into it. Sharing that food is a way of sharing their magic. It was a common behavior, but it wasn't required.

Really, the only thing a Submissive  _needed_ to do was be receptive. They had to be there for their Dominant mate and be ready to calm them if they became too agitated or aggressive. There were a lot of things about being in a romantic relationship with a Beast that scared you, but you were sure that you could handle constant cuddling with Sans.

Once you were finished with your snack, you grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and carried it back out to the living room. Time to go over the rest of your notes. You sat down and got situated, sipping your water as you pulled your notes over to reread them.

 

> _Levels of Beast Courtship_
> 
> _\- level 1: Displaying interest_  
>  _\- One or both parties show interest in the other_  
>  _\- Submissives_  
>  _\- Become receptive to attention_  
>  _- Go out of their way to care for those in their territory_  
>  _\- Dominants_  
>  _- Present lots of presents_  
>  _- Provide food_  
>  _\- Show ability to protect_
> 
> _\- level 2: The Courtship Begins_  
>  _\- Light scent marking_  
>  _- Dominant will scent mark to show intent_  
>  _\- Submissive will scent mark back to show acceptance_  
>  _\- This tells other potential mates to either get to work wooing or get lost_  
>  _\- Both will display abilities desirable in potential mates_  
>  _\- Submissive proves capability in:_  
>  _\- Tending to the nest_  
>  _\- Caring for potential children_  
>  _\- Preparing food_  
>  _\- Caring for Dominant_  
>  _\- Dominant demonstrates ability to:_  
>  _\- Protect nest/mate/potential children_  
>  _\- Provide food/den/health/safety_  
>  _\- Comfort and care for Submissive._
> 
> _\- level 3: Acceptance and Sharing_  
>  _\- By this stage, both parties are in a true relationship_  
>  _\- Increased strength of scent marking_  
>  _\- Both parties are now obviously scent marking each other_  
>  _\- This shows that neither party is interested in considering any other potential mates_  
>  _\- Take turns sleeping together at each other's dens_  
>  _\- This reinforces the scent marking and mingling_  
>  _\- Also helps to decide which den to take as their shared home once mated_  
>  _\- Building nests together_  
>  _\- Both provide materials with their own scent_  
>  _\- Both ensure the comfort of the other when building_  
>  _\- Hunting/preparing food together_  
>  _- A Dominant allowing a Submissive to hunt shows_  
>  _\- That the Dominant trusts the Submissive_  
>  _\- That the Submissive is capable in providing as well_  
>  _\- A Submissive allowing a Dominant to prepare food shows_  
>  _\- That the Submissive trusts the Dominant_  
>  _\- That the Dominant is capable in caring for the Submissive/potential children_  
>  _\- Grooming also becomes a large part of interactions_  
>  _\- Great way to bond_  
>  _\- Helps both to relax_
> 
> _\- level 4: Promise_  
>  _\- Full scent marking_  
>  _\- At this level, the two parties are all but mated_  
>  _\- Form a delicate preliminary Bond_  
>  _\- This ensures that both parties are truly compatible_  
>  _\- Emotions are shared and expressed through this early bond, though not as strongly as in a full bond_  
>  _\- Sharing emotions is important for mates when_  
>  _\- One or both enter heat_  
>  _\- One or both experience highly powerful instincts_
> 
> _\- level 5: Bonded_  
>  _\- This is a full, consummated bond_  
>  _\- This bond is permanent and powerful_  
>  _\- Mates experience strong emotions through the bond_  
>  _\- Beast and mate are now able to conceive_  
>  _\- When the bond is fresh, the Beast will act out of instinct_  
>  _\- Dominant:_  
>  _- Highly protective of mate_  
>  _\- Determined to keep mate in den, possibly confined to nest_  
>  _\- Insistent on mate being consistently well fed_  
>  _\- Highly defensive of territory_  
>  _\- Constant grooming, cuddling, scent marking_  
>  _\- Caters to mate's unique needs_  
>  _\- Submissive:_  
>  _\- Becomes highly dependent on Mate_  
>  _\- Will only eat food provided by mate_  
>  _\- becomes hesitant to leave nest_  
>  _\- Regularly checks and rechecks nest/den to ensure it is suitable for raising children_  
>  _\- Constant grooming, cuddling, scent marking_

It was a lot to take in. You were a little worried about how many times children were mentioned, but you just made a mental note to talk to Sans about it. It wasn't that kids were a problem. You loved kids and you definitely wanted some of your own eventually, but you weren't sure how that would work. You weren't sure if humans could conceive with Monsters, let along Beasts. You weren't against adopting if that was the case, but you had to make sure that Sans and his instincts understood.

You also weren't sure how to go about all this. You didn't have the instincts driving you to follow all of this, so you would have to actively play the part. Would it work? Would you be able to be a proper mate to Sans? You sighed as you tossed your notes aside and finished your bottle of water. You were getting ahead of yourself. You weren't even really together yet! One date was all the two of you had agreed to. You were just throwing the bottle into the sink to be refilled when your phone chimed.

**The Beast**

**hye what u up 2?**

**You**

**nm. Why whats up?**

**The Beast**

**u up 4 hangin?**

**You**

**Yeah, sure. You wanna meet up someplace?**

Only a moment after you sent the text, there's a knock on your door.

"Just a sec," you called. Sans hadn't replied yet, so you shoved your phone into your pocket and peeked through the window to see who was at the door. You rolled your eyes when you saw a hulking figure in a blue hoodie. You unlocked the door and pulled it open, cocking an eyebrow at Sans.

"hey," he said, ducking his head sheepishly.

"That was quick."

"i, uh, i was kinda already here when i texted you."

"Of course you were," you chuckled. "Well, come on in. Is everything alright?" Sans slipped in, ducking his head under the door frame. 

"yeah, everything's fine." You gently closed and locked the door before joining him on your couch.

"Really?" You didn't quite believe him. 

"yeah, just," he sighed, laying a clawed hand over his eyes. "it's just my instincts. i know it's stupid, but i'm feeling antsy. just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine," you smiled sweetly. "Your instincts are really getting to you, huh?"

"i hate it. it's like they're in overdrive. i  _know_ you're okay. i  _know_ you're safe. but i just couldn't stop fidgeting, like i needed to come check up on you. i'm sorry. "

"Don't be," you insisted. "I appreciate you making an effort to not scare me, and it's not like you're acting this way on purpose. I mentioned it to the girls today and Alphys said that it's definitely because you were trying to suppress your instincts. She also said that if you keep trying to suppress them you could risk going feral." His face screwed up into a slight snarl.

"i am  **not** going to go feral. she had  **no** right to go saying- "

"Hey, hey! She didn't say you  _would_ become feral, she said that when Beasts in general suppress their instincts for too long and something triggers them, they _could_ go feral. Undyne made it perfectly clear that you wouldn't be a threat to me and that it would be a simple matter to bring you back to yourself." He calmed down a bit, but still seemed unhappy.

"they shouldn't've been talking about going feral anyway."

"I'm actually kind of glad they did. I didn't know that was something that could happen to Beasts."

"it's not common. didn't want to scare you."

"Sans, I'm more likely to be scared if I don't know what's going on. Knowledge is power. Now I know that if something happens and you do get like that, you won't hurt me. And that, once we calm you down and fix the problem, you'll go right back to being your punny self. I trust you to take care of me no matter the situation. It'll take more than a little magical weirdness to scare me off. Do you trust me to stick around?"

"of course i trust you! it's just," he huffed. "i'm just worried that you'll get freaked out. monsters are a little weird. beasts are a lotta weird."

"I know," you giggled. "I've been reading some stuff that Alphys sent me on Beasts. Honestly, it's got me a little unsure, but I'm willing to work through it."

"what did she send you?"

"Information on courting. There's a lot I didn't know."

"like what?"

"Like the whole Dominant/Submissive thing."

"oh," he blushed blue. "yeah, that's not how it sounds. we didn't even know it was a sex thing until we got up here."

"Yeah, I know. I was confused at first, but I think I get it now. Being the Dominant one means you're more likely to get all protective of me and defend me."

"how do you know i'm the dominant one? maybe i'm a submissive." His smirk showed he was joking, trying to lighten up after worrying over your reaction.

"Well, if that's the case, then you won't mind if I go play in traffic." You stood up and moved to the door only to laugh when Sans wrapped his tail around your waist and pulled you into his lap with a playful growl.

"that was dirty," he muttered and he wrapped his arms around your stomach and nuzzled into your neck.

"Just calling your bluff. I don't mind being the Submissive one as long as you realize I'm still a competent and capable person."

"of course you are," he frowned. "what else would you be?"

"Well, some people might think being submissive means staying at home and only doing as your told." Sans snorted.

"sounds more like a pet than a mate."

"Glad to hear you agree. But there is something I wanted to mention."

"what's that?"

"Well," you pause to turn around in his lap and look him in the eye. "There haven't been too many Monster/Human relationships yet, so there hasn't been any research or anything."

"okay...? on what?"

"On, well, kids. We don't know if Humans and Monsters can conceive, and since Monsters and Beasts are both magic it means we don't know if-"

"hey, hey, hey," he cooed, calming you down. You didn't realize how much it was bothering you, but you were starting to get really worked up. He pulled you closer and rubbed your back as you burrowed into his shoulder. "just relax, it's alright. it means we don't know if you and i can have kids, right?" You nodded. "well, i think we've got time. you read what alphys sent you, right?" You nodded again. "then you know how long beast courtship usually takes. i still wanna do some things the human way, but that doesn't mean we should rush anything. we've got plenty of time before we start thinking about kids."

"Yeah, but this is kind of a "make it or break it" thing. I mean, do you want kids?"

"well, yeah, someday. i mean, part of it is my instincts telling me to get busy and make babies," you chuckled at that, "but i also would love to be a dad. i pretty much raised papyrus, so i've got some experience already. but, hey," he pushed you back so he could look you in the eye. "not being able to make our own doesn't mean we don't get to be parents. there's all that adoption and artificial insemination stuff that you humans have."

"Artificial insemination?" you asked. Apparently Sans had been doing some research of his own. "Would you really be okay with your mate giving birth to a child that's not yours?"

" _genetically_ ," he growled gently. "the kid wouldn't be  _genetically_ mine. if my mate is birthing it, then it's mine. "

"And adoption?"

"monsters are magic. genetics don't matter to us. if we claim a child as our own, then it's ours. you've seen tori with frisk."

"True."

"and what about you?" He gently brushed your hair over your ear. "do you want kids?"

"Eventually, yeah." Sans smiled wide.

"then there's no problem. so quit worrying. we've got the rest of our lives to work out all the details."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"of course i'm right." The two of you snuggled together, just enjoying each others company for a few long minutes.

Then Sans started fidgeting again.

"What's wrong?" you mumbled.

"nothing."

"Sans."

"your couch is just a little small." You snorted and stood up, ignoring Sans's complaints.

"Well, that's an easy fix." You rushed to your bedroom to grab as many blankets and pillows as you could and tossed them all down the stairs. "We'll make a nest," you called down. You went back to your room to grab some more supplies, carefully carting them down the steps so as not to trip. You carried your bundle to the living room floor where Sans had already gotten to work on the nest. 

"I know we're kind of skipping ahead, but I do like building nests with you." Sans shot you the brightest smile you'd seen from him in a long time.

"don't worry about it. everyone moves at their own pace. our instincts might prompt us on what to do, but it's  _our_ relationship. we can do things in whatever order  _we_ want. " You giggled and dropped the rest of the blankets and pillows onto the floor so you could help Sans finish arranging everything. There were still a ton of things that you wanted to ask him and talk to him about, but he was right. You had plenty of time to work things out. Possibly even the rest of your lives.

With the nest completed, you snuggled up with your nottaboyfriend and pulled up some comedy show on Netflix. He cracked a joke about "Netflix and chill" and you laughed. You weren't sure how you would handle everything to come, but you would do it with Sans at your side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! I live for the feedback you guys give me! Feel free to send me any questions you guys have about my Beast Monsters or how the ABO dynamics work in my stories. Also PLEASE let me know if I didn't explain everything properly. Check out my [Tumblr](https://ladyarkytiorofdunans.tumblr.com/)  
> 


	4. Dating Start!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first date with Sans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Sorry for the delay, life got a little crazy. If you follow my Tumblr, you may have seen a post some weeks ago about my dad being in the hospital. The doctors did figure out what was wrong and they did treat him. He's home now and on the mend. Unfortunately, it's slow going and I'm needed to help out around the house and with various other stuff. 
> 
> Between that, my birthday, adopting a bird, and work, life has been a little hectic. I'm going to try to start writing regularly again, but I can't promise anything. Especially with the Holidays coming up.

This was it. Thursday. Your first date with Sans.

You had raced home from work as soon as you clocked out. This past week had been a long one. You hadn't seen Sans since your cuddle session on Saturday, but you had been texting back and forth constantly. He was doing better, but his instincts still had him on edge. You invited him over a few times, but he insisted that he would be fine. Now, the day was here and you were starting to feel a little tiny bit panicky. You spent your free time pouring over all the information that Alphys had given you, but you still had no idea what to expect from this date. You knew what to expect from human dates, but you insisted that Sans plan a Beast date.

You shook all those thoughts from your head. No more buts! You had been waiting for this chance for a long time and you weren't about to screw it up. You quickly pulled out your phone and typed out a text.

**You**

**Hey! Just got home from work.**  
**I'm gonna grab a quick shower and get ready.**  
**I know you want to keep things a secret**  
**for our date, but how should I dress?**

**The Beast**

**comfy**

**You**

**Comfy? So, casual?**

**The Beast**

**no comfy**

**You**

**???**

**The Beast**

**u said beast d8**

**beast d8 means comfy**

**You**

**Sans, I need more than that.**  
**Comfy casual? Comfy dressy?**

 **If you don't give me something else to go on,**  
**then I'm going to just throw on my ugly sweats.**

**The Beast**

**good**

**sweats r comfy**

**You**

**But not date material???**

**The Beast**

**p sure its fabric**

You full on facepalmed. How could you walk into a pun like that!

**You**

**You really want me to just wear the most**  
**comfortable thing I own?**

**The Beast**

**its a beast thing**

**You**

**You sure it's not a Sans thing?**

**The Beast**

**¯\\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )_/¯**

**You**

**Alright, smartypants. I'll wear comfy clothes.**

You tossed your phone on the bed and went to quickly shower work off of you. You were still a little wary. Surely Sans wouldn't have you dress in ugly comfy clothes if he was going to take you somewhere nice. You were just going to have to trust him. Still, you felt really self-conscious just throwing on ugly sweats. You wanted to look good on your first date with Sans.

As you stepped out of the shower, you decided to compromise. You could look cute while still being comfy. You threw your hair up into a messy bun and sprayed it with a little bit of hair spray. That was simple and required minimal effort. Plus, the hair spray would help your drying hair stay put. You wanted to avoid having to re-fix your hair all night.

You paused and glanced at your makeup bag. Full makeup wasn't "comfy", but it felt rude to not put at least _something_ on. Maybe you could tell Sans that it was what you had worn to work? No, it didn't feel right to lie, and he would no doubt see right through it. You huffed and sat down at your vanity. You wanted to look good on your first date! You dabbed on just enough concealer to cover up some discoloration and added a touch of blush to color your cheeks. It was light and subtle, but made a world of difference to you.

Next were your clothes. You were trying to threaten Sans with your ugly sweats, but that clearly didn't work. He didn't seem to care what you looked like as long as you were comfortable. Well, you didn't feel comfortable wearing your ugly sweats out of the house. You dug through your closet until you found your favorite yoga pants. A baggy graphic tee and an over sized zip-up hoodie completed the outfit. You also grabbed a bra. Bras were rarely comfortable, but you were _not_ going to leave the house without one. Fortunately, you did have a sports bra that wasn't too bad. It did absolutely nothing to show off or accentuate the girls, but it didn't irritate you and it would keep them in place.

You glanced at the time on your phone as you slipped on a pair of comfy shoes. It was only about 4:00, so you took a moment to give yourself a once over. You didn't look like a total slob, so you counted that as a win. Still, you wished that Sans hadn't been so adamant on the whole "comfort" thing. You couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about going on a date like this. You quickly shoved those thoughts aside and picked up your phone. You told Sans you wanted a Beast Date, and apparently that meant wearing comfy (even ugly) clothes. You really wanted this relationship to work, so you would just have to deal with it.

**You**

**Are you going to pick me up?**  
**Or are we meeting up somewhere?**

**The Beast**

**text wen ur redy n ill pic u up**

You chuckled. It was like Sans went out of his way to make his texts look lazy and borderline nonsensical.

**You**

**If you're really serious about the comfy**  
**clothes thing then I'm ready now.**

**The Beast**

**serious**

**omw**

You slipped your phone into the pocket of your hoodie as you walked downstairs. Just as you grabbed your house key and slipped the band around your wrist, there was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" you called.

"ya."

"Ya who?" you snickered as you walked to the door.

"i'm glad you're as excited for our date as i am." You opened the door to see Sans smiling down at you. "you ready to go?"

"Yep!" You joined him outside, making sure to lock the deadbolt behind you. When you turned back to Sans, you were startled to find his face much closer than you expected. He narrowed his eye sockets and sniffed.

"you're wearing makeup," he muttered. "you're supposed to be comfortable."

"I know," you quickly replied. "It's just a little. I promise I really am comfortable. I would actually feel less comfortable if I wasn't wearing any makeup."

"really?" He tilted his head in the most adorable way.

"Really," you insisted as you fidgeted with your key.

"alright, then,” he seemed unconvinced, but willing to let it go. “if you're sure you're comfortable like this, then it's fine. but i really do want you to be comfortable. tell me if you're not."

"Sans, you won't make me uncomfortable."

"it's not just being uncomfortable, it's being not comfortable." It was your turn to tilt your head in confusion. "my instincts are still running a little high," he explained in a rush. "you said you wanted a beast date, so i decided to let my instincts do the planning. i should be completely back to myself after this."

"So our date is letting your instincts recover?"

"kinda?" He scratched the back of his skull looking guilty and sheepish. You weren't quite sure how you felt about that, but you were fairly certain you didn't mind too much. You knew that the early days of this relationship would be rocky, but you were sure that it would be worth the effort.

"So, what do your instincts have planned?" You smiled sweetly up at him to ease his nerves.

"taking care of you, mostly." He looked relieved. "i haven't done much to prove myself as a potential mate." He kept going before you had a chance to argue. "i know you think that the deer and the bear and the nest make up for it, but i want to do things the right way."

Still not sure if you completely understood, you pulled out your phone and looked over the notes you had copied there. It was a good thing you had thought to make yourself a cheat sheet. You quickly scanned through the notes until you found what you were looking for.

 

 

> _\- Submissives_  
>  _\- Become receptive to attention_  
>  _\- Go out of their way to care for those in their territory_  
>  _\- Dominants_  
>  _\- Present lots of presents_  
>  _\- Provide food_  
>  _\- Show ability to protect_

So he wanted to dote on you. You could handle that, right?

"look, i know this might all seem a little weird-"

"No!" you rushed to assure him. "It's not weird, it's just different. You're a Beast, Sans. You're supposed to act like a Beast. I was just looking at my little cheat sheet. I wanted to make sure I'm doing things right."

"you've got nothing to worry about," he smiled softly. "just relax and leave everything to me."

"Well there's something I never thought I'd hear you say," you joked. Sans chuckled, all signs of stress gone from his form. "So what are your plans? Are we going somewhere?"

"i'm taking you someplace for dinner."

"We driving?"

"walking. do, uh, do you mind if i carry you? it's kinda far." He seemed embarrassed, like he thought it was a silly request. You made sure to pick your words carefully before responding.

"I don't mind walking. But if you _really_ want to carry me, I won't say no to a piggyback ride." You didn't mind being carried bridal style, but you didn't feel like quite so much of a useless lump if you could help him carry you.

Sans chuckled as he turned and crouched down so you could climb onto his back. You found you were very grateful that Sans didn't have horns like Papyrus. There were ridges running along the sides and back of his skull, but nothing that would take your eye out.

Once you were in place, Sans was off.

* * *

You weren't sure how long he had been walking, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. You were really enjoying the trip, just chatting with Sans about everything and nothing. Not to mention how amazingly huggable he was. You would think that a skeleton would be uncomfortably bony, but that wasn't the case with Sans. You weren't sure if it was due to the fluffy hoodie he rarely went without or his magic, but you were grateful.

You were just telling Sans about your coworker's disaster of a vacation when a loud grumble cut you off. Sans's stride only faltered for a second before he snickered. You blushed and buried your face into Sans's shoulder with a groan.

"sounds like someone's hungry," Sans chuckled.

"I may have forgotten to eat lunch today," you confessed.

"you didn't eat? have you eaten at all today?" The laughter was gone from his voice.

"I ate breakfast,” you quickly reassured him. “There was just a lot going on at work today."

"good thing i already planned to feed you," he muttered. "otherwise i'd be stopping to feed you right now."

"Is that an always thing? Or a _your-instincts-are-still-running-high_ thing?"

"instincts mostly. i mean, making sure you're well fed is an always thing, but feeling like i **need** to feed you right away is an instinct thing. "

"Good to know." Your stomach growled again and Sans picked up his pace a bit. "So do I get to know about your plans now?" You propped your chin on his shoulder, trying to focus on the beautiful nature around you and not your stomach.

"so impatient!" he teased. "we're almost there. i wanted to show you one of my favorite spots." Your stomach rumbled. "we'll eat when we get there." You blushed as he laughed.

"What's on the menu?"

"nothing special. just something i grabbed. my instincts aren't pushing me to prove my skill as a hunter as much after the bear and the deer, so i went with something smaller."

"How small?" you asked suspiciously. "There's enough for you to eat too, right?"

"yes, there's food for me too. i ate before i picked you up, though, so i won't eat as much when we get there."

"Did you really eat? Cause if you didn't-"

"yes, i really did eat," he brought his tail around to flick you on the shoulder. "i knew you'd make a big deal out of it, so i made sure to have a nice big meal before i left. i doubt you'd feel very comfortable if you thought i was hungry. i also made sure to get enough food so that you can share with me." You smiled and gave him a squeeze as thanks. It may seem silly to some, but sharing food was special for you. It was the first time that you and Sans had truly been on the same page.

"You still haven't told me what we're eating."

"it's not all that impressive." he mumbled. "like i said, it's just something small."

"I'm sure it's wonderful."

"just....don't be disappointed." You pulled back and leaned over his shoulder so he could see the look you were giving him. "i'm just saying there's no trophies to display for this one."

"Challenge accepted!" you proudly declared.

Sans burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" you pouted.

"i-it's nothing, j-just-" He could barely talk through his laughter. He even stopped walking so he could calm down and catch his breath. Which never ceased to amuse you, considering he's a skeleton with no actual lungs. "sorry, sorry. it's just, well, it's easier to show you. we're here." He set you down and took your hand. You quickly began racking your brain, trying to figure out what he caught. You could make a trophy out of pretty much any animal. Or, at least your coworker could and you could display it. Animals pelts could be tanned and turned into blankets or rugs and teeth or claws could be mounted or turned into jewelry. It might be a little trickier if Sans had gathered fruits and vegetables, but you found that unlikely given how important meat is in a Beast's diet. You were broken from your thoughts as Sans led you the last few yards to your destination.

You broke through the tree line and stepped into a large clearing. You spun slowly as you gazed in awe at the surrounding trees all covered in vibrant green leaves and brightly colored flowers.

"Sans, how-?"

"what do you think?"

"It's September! How are all these trees in bloom?"

"it's just a bit of green magic. i'm not usually any good at doing much more than healing minor hp damage, but i got a bit of help from toriel. it's all my magic, but she gave me a few pointers and helped me weave it into the trees. they won't stay in bloom for long. it'll probably all fade away by tomorrow morning."

"Sans, this is beautiful! Thank you!"

"glad you like it," his smile grew. "i wanted to make the place look nice. it also works like a sort of barrier to keep any animals from getting at the food."

Reminded of your hunger and your challenge, you turned back to look at the center of the clearing where a large blanket was spread out on the ground. You were determined to make this trophy. There, in the middle of the blanket, was the meal that Sans had so valiantly provided.

You burst out laughing.

Sans chuckled and gently rested a bony hand on your back when you doubled over.

"see what i mean? nothing displayable here." He shrugged goodnaturedly while you took a moment to breathe and wipe a tear from your eye.

"Nonsense!" You grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the blanket, smiling up at him the whole way. "I told you I would display a trophy, and I will!" He sat down on the blanket as you grabbed one of the large brown paper bags labeled _Grillby's_ and sat down beside him. "I'm saving this bag and framing it when I get home." Sans chuckled and wrapped his tail around you, pulling you in close.

"you're really set on this trophy thing, aren't you?"

"I accepted your challenge, didn't I?"

"that you did."

"And admit it," you smirked. "You like that I display your trophies."

"that i do." He nuzzled the top of your head, no doubt messing up your hair, but you couldn't bring yourself to care.

You opened the bag in your hands and took a moment to appreciate the delicious aroma that wafted out before unpacking the variety of burgers inside. You picked one with no cheese and extra pickles while Sans grabbed the remaining smaller bags. He opened them and rolled the tops of the bags so that they would stay open and the fries inside would be easily accessible. You dug into your burger and were pleased to see Sans do the same. You only ate one, but you didn't feel bad about wasted food since Sans easily downed the rest. The two of you chatted amiably while you munched on the fries, occasionally feeding each other or breaking a fry in half to split. You never really liked the whole "feeding each other" thing before. It felt just a little too mushy for your tastes. You found that you felt very differently about it with Sans. It still seemed incredibly mushy, but you could practically see his instincts calming down with every bite.

Once you were full, you both laid back on the blanket and cuddled up to watch the clouds. You took turns pointing out different shapes that you saw and telling each other jokes.

"so," Sans nuzzled your hair again. "what do you think? good first date?"

"Very good," you nuzzled him back.

"is there any way i can make it better?"

"Sans," you groaned but you couldn't suppress your smile. He was just too sweet.

"i mean it! i want to do what i can to make sure you're comfortable. all the time, not just now." You took a moment to actually think about it.

"You really are doing a great job. I guess the only request I have is that you answer any questions I have about Beasts?"

"i can do that," he paused. "if you'd be willing to do the same?"

"The same?"

"would you answer any questions i have questions about humans?"

"Oh. Yeah, of course. Always feel free to ask." You smiled encouragingly.

"okay, then i actually have one now." You nodded for him to continue. "why are you more comfortable with makeup?"

"Um, well, it's partially because I'm kinda self-conscious about the way I look without it." Sans frowned, clearly not liking that answer.

"do you not feel comfortable being around me without makeup?"

"That's not it. I just look better with makeup."

"you-"

"Alright, I think I look better with makeup." He closed his mouth, somewhat appeased. "So I put some on to look nice for you."

"but you always look nice. besides, you don't need to get my attention or impress me. you've already got me."

"It's not about getting your attention, really. It's, hm." You paused to think. You had been so worried about trying to understand Beast-Things that you never stopped to think that there might be Human-Things that Sans would struggle with. "I want to look good because I want to show you how much I care about you. I know you'd be fine if I just looked however, but I want to look good for you. I want to take the effort to show you I care. Does that make sense?"

"yeah, i think so." You waited patiently while he mulled that over. He startled you when he suddenly sat up and pulled you along, settling you between his legs so he could loosely wrap all five limbs around you. "so, you feel comfortable like this even though dressing up and doing makeup are uncomfortable?"

"Kinda? I only put on a little make up and I promise these clothes really are comfy. But, I'm starting to feel like something's getting lost in translation here." You gently rested your head against his chest. "Why don't you tell me why comfort is such a big deal and we'll go from there."

"comfort means i'm doing things right," he explained softly. "if you feel comfortable, then i know you feel safe and happy. comfort means you trust me. if you're not comfortable, then i need to know why so i can fix it. i thought humans only dressed up so much for each other because they were trying to get attention."

"Well, it is mostly attention. At least, at first. You want to look good for a crush or significant other so they'll find you attractive and want to be with you. But making yourself look good for someone shows them that they're worth all the time and effort. It's also a way to show respect. You dress up and look nice if you meet someone important. But me putting on makeup is more like the flowers." You gestured to the blossoms in the trees. "You did all this and put in all that effort to make it look pretty for me. Lots of humans would be offended if someone showed up for a date looking like a slob."

"but you're not, right?" Poor Sans sounded nervous, so you quickly reassured him.

"No, Sans, I'm not offended. You told me to dress comfy, so I was expecting you to dress comfy too. Now, if you had dressed up while I was in sweats or you had taken us somewhere fancy while we were dressed like this, I would have been very uncomfortable. A romantic picnic alone in the woods, on the other hand, is quaint and cozy." That seemed to finally put Sans at ease.

"i'll be sure to dress up next time." You couldn't suppress a frown.

"Now hang on," you said as you gently pushed yourself away enough to look Sans in the socket. "I really do appreciate that you're trying to do things the _"human way"_ , but you're not human. You're a Beast. I don't want you to change who you are. I like _you_." His expression softened and he pulled you close again.

"then let's compromise. when we go out on a human date to somewhere nice, we'll dress up."

"And when we go on a Beast date like this, we'll dress down. I won't even wear make up next time."

"you sure?" he asked worriedly.

"I am," you insisted. "I don't think I'll feel quite so self-conscious about how I look on Beast Dates from now on. I still think I look better with makeup on, but I think the effort of _not_ putting any on will show you how much you mean to me. I'm willing to go out looking like a slob for you," you teased, drawing a laugh from Sans.

"how romantic of you."

"So. Dating Success?"

"dating success."

"Does this mean we're a couple now?" You tried not to sound too ~~desperate~~ eager.

"yup. you're stuck with me now." He hugged you closer and nuzzled deeper. You giggled as a loud purr rumbled through his chest. "will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"don't shower tonight. or tomorrow."

"Uh...What?" You pulled back so he could see how confused you were.

"i know it sounds weird, but it would mean a lot to me if you waited a little while before showering again."

"Why? I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes. Yet."

"couples scent mark. i'm an alpha, so i've marked you before just like i've marked everyone i count as pack. but a pack scent mark is very different from a mate scent mark. it'll only be light marking, but it shows intent. it takes a while for a new scent mark to set in, so if you shower before then, it could wash the whole scent away."

"Which is rude to my potential mate and probably not good for your still recovering instincts."

"exactly."

"Is this something that requires the use of magic? Or is this something I can reciprocate?" You were willing to be the submissive and let Sans take the lead, but you were dead set on doing everything you could to contribute to this relationship and help calm his instincts.

"you don't need magic to leave your scent on me, but it won't have the same intent without magic to guide it."

"I know I don't have enough magic to use, but I thought all Souls contained some magic."

"they do, but like you just said, you can't use it. in theory, i could help you scent mark me with intent, but that would involve drawing out your soul." He blushed bright blue. "that's a little too...intimate for now." You slipped your phone out of your pocket and pulled up your notes.

"So, would that be a Level 3 thing, or a Level 4 thing?" You turned the screen so he could see.

"i'd say level 4. humans don't seem to realize just how intimate souls are. don't worry, i have enough magic for the both of us till then."

"It's not fair," you pouted. "I want to mark you too." A loud sound ripped from Sans's chest, softer than any growl you'd heard him make, but too rough to be a purr. You stared in surprise as he blushed again.

"ya can't just say stuff like that," he muttered.

"But it's true! The notes say I'm supposed to scent mark you back to show acceptance."

"it's fine. i know you accept."

"But what about 'other potential mates'? I don't want some chick hitting on you because you don't smell like me."

"trust me, you don't have to worry about that. you're the only one i'm interested in. besides, you can still scent mark me without magic."

"But it won't have the intent," you grumbled. "You'll just smell like some human girl, not your girlfriend."

"i love that you're so into this, but you really don't have to worry. scent marking with a human is practically unheard of. I'm sure most people will figure it out quick enough."

"I just want to make sure I'm doing this right. I don't have instincts like yours to tell me what to do. I know this is a lot harder for you since I'm human-"

"hey, none of that. yes, things'll be a little trickier for us, but we could just as easily blame it on me being a beast. you said you don't want me to change who i am. well the same goes for me. i don't want you to change who you are. if i wanted a mate who was a beast or a monster, i'd be courting a beast or a monster. i'm not courting you because of what you are or aren't, but because you're you. we're not defined by our races, but they do help shape who we are."

"You're right. It's silly to think I should change myself when I just told you not to. But you've been trying to do things the human way for me. I want to do things the Beast way for you."

"and you have. you've done tons of research, you share food with me, and you have been so incredibly patient with me and my instinct garbage." You chuckled. "i'm serious! i'm getting annoyed at my instincts for taking so long and making me act so weird and over the top. i don't know how you put up with it."

"I actually think it's sweet. The over-the-top part will get old after a while, but I know it'll go away once your instincts calm down. And I know the only reason your instincts got all fired up in the first place is because you care about me. You were trying so hard to not freak me out or scare me off, to woo me like a human. Then you saved me. You saved my life, Sans."

"the bear didn't attack you. it might've just left you alone."

"You're right. It might have. Or it might have decided to eat me. Or maybe it wouldn't kill me, but it would bat me around and play with me. That would have left me seriously hurt and all alone out in the woods." You could feel the rumble in his chest at how much that thought bothered him. "Instead, it never touched me. I was safe because you were there. You saved me from that bear, and you carried me home and took care of me. Human instincts aren't nearly as strong as Beast or even Monster instincts, but we do have them. I felt my fight-or-flight instincts kick in that day in the woods. I was scared, and part of my mind was saying to run away from you. With all the adrenaline rushing through my system, it was hard to push past it. I can only imagine how much harder it's been for you. But the biggest reason I can be patient with your instincts, is that they're not in control. Even when they have been pushing you to do certain things and act certain ways, you have never let them take control. You texted me for permission before coming over to my house. You asked permission before you touched me at any point. Most of all, you talked to me. You explained what you were feeling, and you listened when I spoke. I'm patient with your instincts because I trust you."

Silence filled the clearing once you finished your little speech. You hadn't meant to wax on like that, but it all just came tumbling out. You stared up at Sans as the sun began to set. He stared back at you, eyelights twinkling in a way you'd never seen before. Finally, he broke from his stupor and pulled you in for another hug. He didn't nuzzle into your hair or squeeze you tight like before. This felt different, like he was settling down to just hold you for a long time. You hugged him back, ready to just sit in each others arms for the foreseeable future.

"i've been fighting my instincts since the day i met you," he murmured. "i felt drawn to you, but i pushed it aside. i've felt drawn to people before and i just assumed it was same. it took a while for me to realize how wrong i was. every time i saw you, i wanted to check on you, to make sure you were alright. i kept ignoring it, waiting for it to go away like it always had before. then papyrus wanted to take you and leah to see his den. i got so jealous at the idea of you seeing his den and not mine. it wasn't until you actually stepped inside my den that i realized this feeling wasn't going away any time soon. it felt so right to have you safe in my territory. i started checking the land around your house periodically to make sure it was safe. i started standing guard in the woods every morning while you ran. then i started looking into how humans court each other. there was so much information that was all over the place, i could barely make sense of it. i tried to hide my instincts from you but, well, we know how that turned out. i've been scared about this, trying to figure out how to go about it all. and here you are, worrying about the same thing."

"At least we're figuring this stuff out now and not way down the line. That would've sucked."

"true."

"We're still going to have to work at this, but we agreed to help each other and answer each other's questions. We can do this as long as we do it together."

"together," he agreed and began purring again. "sounds like a plan to me."

Sans cradled you gently as he laid back on the blanket. You held each other close as you watched the sun's last rays fade over the horizon. You cuddled up together in peace and fell asleep under the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist the title drop. 
> 
> Challenge!
> 
> This story is super fluffy and I love it! However, it's not very realistic. EVERY relationship has struggles. Yes, there's the cultural barrier, but that's not the only aspect of their relationship. Couples argue. Sometimes it's over big stuff and sometimes it's over small stuff. 
> 
> What kinds of hardships would you guys like to see in this story? Send your ideas to me on my [Tumblr](https://ladyarkytiorofdunans.tumblr.com/)


	5. Periodic Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cramps suck. Fortunately, Sans is more than happy to take care of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for long wait! On top of all the other IRL drama, my laptop up and died on me. I've been limited to writing during my breaks at work. However, I now have my new laptop! YAY! So I will (hopefully) be getting chapters out more regularly again.  
> Credit to my Chibi Beta Reader, Ariinya14, for helping get this written! Your questions and ideas have kept the creative juices flowing!

Life had been going fairly well in the weeks since you and Sans began dating. He'd taken you on a few more Beast date picnics out in that clearing, and they were all as romantic as the first. You wanted to take a trophy from each date, but he insisted that such a thing would be too much. After all, you only had so much room in your house. You compromised by agreeing to only take a trophy from memorable/important dates, like the deer and the _Grillby's_ bag from your first date. You also took and framed a picture as a trophy from your first human date.

He took you on a few human dates, but not as many as he wanted to. It was unfortunately rather difficult to go on human dates with Sans since there were so few restaurants that were prepared to accommodate a Beast. Some places claimed that they couldn't serve Beasts because of dietary requirements or fire safety protocols or some other bull shit third reason. You could tell from their tones and attitudes that it was because of prejudice. Other places legitimately were unable to let Sans in the building due to the door being too small, the ceilings too low, or the seating far too narrow to seat a Beast. You knew those places were genuine. The people you spoke to on the phone were sincere and patient, asking for Sans’s exact measurements in the hope that they could find a way to help you. None of them could.

You were more than a little grateful when Frisk heard about the problems you were having and called in a favor with Mettaton. While the Robot obviously wanted lots of human fans and patrons, he was more than happy to get you and Sans a reservation at his new restaurant. It was already habit for monsters to make buildings accessible to Beasts, and he was thrilled to host the first (or at least the first he knew of) Beast/Human couple.

Obviously, you were thrilled that things were going so well, but you were a little worried about what the future held. You and Sans were still kind of in the _'Honeymoon'_ phase of your relationship. Sooner or later, you would run into a problem and have an argument. Every relationship did. Big or small, one of two things would happen when the argument came. Either it would prove that you two didn't belong together, or it would galvanize your bond making it stronger than ever.

You shoved such thoughts away and groaned into your pillow as the stabbing sensation returned. Cramps sucked. You barely managed to not faceplant as you rolled out of bed and slowly made your way downstairs. Time for more Advil.

You popped the pills and swallowed them with a large gulp of water. It had been a while since you'd had cramps that bad, so you were a little unprepared. Fortunately, you had plenty of Advil, water, and a great electric heating pad to get you through the worst of it. You had work the next day, so you would just have to suck it up and deal with the cramps if they stuck around.

You walked back up the stairs and into your bedroom to see your phone blowing up on your bedside table. You quickly walked over and snatched it up, not at all surprised to see that it was Sans.

**The Beast**

**hey**

**wassup?**

**u ok?**

**You**

**Yeah. Why?**

**The Beast**

**kinda awkward**

You cocked an eyebrow at that.

**You**

**What's awkward?**

**The Beast**

**so u kno i got a gud sense a smel?**

**You**

**Yeeeeees.....?**

Where was he going with this?

**The Beast**

**can smel ur hormoens**

**u need nething?**

**You**

**Wait, you can smell hormones?**  
**Since when?**

**The Beast**

**y**

**always**

Poor Sans! That sounded so gross!

**You**

**I can see why that would make**  
**you feel a little awkward.**

 **But you don't have to worry**  
**about me. I'm fine, Sans.**

**The Beast**

**sure u don need me 2 take care of u?**

**You**

**You don't have to worry.**  
**This isn't my first rodeo.**

**The Beast**

**please?**

**You**

**Are YOU okay?**

**The Beast**

**wanna take care of u**

You groaned aloud, practically feeling the puppy dog eyes he was no doubt giving through the text.

**You**

**Fine.**

It didn't take long before you heard the knock on the door, but it wasn't an immediate response like the last time he asked to come over. Apparently Sans actually waited for your approval before showing up this time. The trek down the stairs wasn't quite as strenuous as it was before thanks to the Advil finally kicking in. You took a moment to peek through the window before you opened the door. It wasn't likely for you to have problems with robbers so far from the main city, but you'd rather be safe than sorry.

Sans didn't say anything as you opened the door, instead taking a moment to look you over. His eyelights darted all over, taking stock of you before finally meeting your eyes.

"Well hello there," you said with a wry smile.

"hey," he returned with a sheepish smile.

"Come on in, you goober." You rolled your eyes and let him in before closing the door behind him.

"thanks for letting me come over."

"Thanks for coming to take care of me. So you can smell it, huh? I'm sorry," your nose scrunched up in disgust, "that's gross."

"nah, i can pretty much smell everyone's hormones. all beasts can smell or sense hormones, and so can most monsters. humans aren't the only ones with hormones, after all. it took a while after coming to the surface to get used to the differences between magical and non-magical, but it's more or less the same. it's just something you get used to and ignore, like noticing the color of someone's hair. you vaguely see it, but you don't bother to actually acknowledge it. i've always been able to smell them, it's just different now because we're actually together."

"Well, I appreciate you wanting to take care of me, but I really am fine. The cramps suck, but it's nothing some Advil and a heating pad can't handle."

"i know, and i get that. it's kind of an instinct thing. our instincts tell us to take care of our mates when they're in heat."

"You mean..."

"sometimes it involves sex, but it always involves caring for them and just being there."

"But I'm human. We don't have heats."

"no, you have this instead. it's more frequent than a heat, but it's also a lot less intense. it's not all-consuming for either of us like it would be if you were actually in heat, but i still wanna take care of you."

"Will it appease your instincts?"

"yes. plus, i really like taking care of you."

"Alright, fine," you rolled your eyes jokingly. "I'll let you take care of me." Then you frowned. "I just feel like I'm taking advantage of you. I know you want to take care of me because it's what your instincts are telling you to do, but that's not why I'm with you. I like you. A lot. And I like spending time with you even when you're not taking care of me."

"it's fine," he smiled. "i know that's not why you're with me. that's part of why i like taking care of you so much." You gave him a questioning look. "come on. let's get you set up to relax and then we can talk about this more." He moved to start work on a nest, but you stopped him.

"Actually, could we go to your place?"

"really?"

"Really. I feel like we're always here. Wouldn't you be more comfortable at your place? If you don't want me there, I understand-"

"it's not that, it's just, wouldn't you rather stay in? this is your house, your territory. i'm comfortable wherever you're comfortable."

"Well, I'm comfortable as long as you're with me. We humans usually aren't as territorial as Beasts."

"usually?" he chuckled.

"Usually."

"well if you're sure you'll still be comfortable,"

"I'm sure."

"then let's go to my place. get your stuff and we'll take a shortcut."

"I'll grab some blankets and pillows to bring for the nest."

" **no.** " You startled at his adamant response.

"What?"

"no. we're- it's not- we're not there yet."

"Oh." You tried not to feel hurt at the way he'd decisively shot down your suggestion.

"it's nothing against you, i swear. it's just, beast instincts are really heavy handed when it comes to courting. the thought of moving too fast actually causes physical discomfort. it feels wrong for our scents to be too mingled too early."

"Hey," you said sweetly. "It's alright. I get it. I understand that scent sharing is a big deal in the whole courting process. We'll get there eventually. I'll only bring some necessities." You were still a little bummed, but you were glad he explained. There were lots of steps to Beast courtship, and their instincts pushed them to move slowly. But the way Sans had worded it, you were sure it was only a matter of time. He didn't seem bothered by the idea of sharing scents with you, just not yet. You grabbed a bunch of tampons, a handful of pads, a bottle of Advil, and an electric heating pad and stuffed them all into a backpack.

* * *

You weren't sure exactly how far away Sans's den was from your house, but you got the feeling it wasn't too terribly far. However, you couldn't be completely sure since he always took a shortcut to get you there.

After the Ascension, many Beasts chose to make their own homes outside of cities and towns. This was partly because being too crowded set them on edge and partly because there really weren’t any houses that could properly accommodate a Beast at that time. Sans and Papyrus had both chosen to build their dens in the forest just outside of Ebott City. They wanted to stay close to their monster friends (and Frisk).

Though he called it his "den", it was really just a house. Sans had found a natural cave in the hills of the forest and built a house onto the mouth of it. The wooden cabin-like house front was fairly average in design, though it was scaled to accommodate a Beast. It was all one story with a kitchen/dining room, a living room, and a guest room. It wasn't until later that he finally added on a bathroom. Apparently, he hadn't bothered with one for Frisk because she liked feeling like a rebel, dismissing the social convention of indoor plumbing and _going_ outdoors. It wasn't until you and Leah entered the scene that Toriel found out and insisted that he and Papyrus install bathrooms. Alphys and Undyne only avoided the former queen's wrath because the building they were living in was built by humans with human expectations and amenities.

You never got to see the cave part of his home before since that was his room. Sans and Papyrus had allowed you and Leah into their territory and homes when they accepted you as part of their pack, but they both made it very clear that their nest/bedrooms were off-limits. It was a very private area for a Beast, shared only with their mate and young children. You didn't expect to see his room any time soon, either. If it was too early to mingle your scents, then it was certainly far too early to be allowed in his room.

You arrived in a matter of moments thanks to his shortcut, and he quickly carried you inside. He set you down on his monstrous couch and began darting around gathering blankets and pillows for the nest. You tried to stand up and help, but he promptly picked you up and put you back down on the couch.

"Sans," you huffed playfully. "Would you please let me help? You build great nests, but I like building them with you."

"can't. i mean, you can't help." You cocked an eyebrow at him. "well, you can help in that you're capable of helping, but you're not allowed." Your eyebrow rose higher, challenging his sudden autocracy. "i mean- it's just-" He sighed and dropped the pillows he'd been arranging. "this is the first time you've been in my den since we started dating. i want to make a proper nest for you."

"We've made nests at my place before. Were they not proper nests?"

"of course they were. but it's different here. it's my home, my territory, my blankets."

"So I'm not allowed to help?" You frowned.

"i just want to do this for you. please? why don't you just go grab a snack or something while i do this?" You huffed as you heaved yourself off the couch and stomped into the kitchen. You didn't mind Sans taking care of you and doting on you, but that dismissive attitude was not okay!

You took a moment to pause in the kitchen and take a deep breath. Sans wasn't trying to be an asshole. He was acting touchy because of his instincts. Instincts that were reacting to your hormones. Hormones that were making you more irritable than usual.

You knew that your First Fight with Sans was coming, but you didn’t want it to be over something that neither of you could really help at the moment. You would explain to Sans that you didn't like his tone after you calmed yourself down. Talking to him while you were still riled seemed like a bad idea.

Slowly but surely, your irritation ebbed away as you focused on your breathing and on scrounging up something to eat. You weren't sure what to expect from Sans's pantry, but you were sure he must have something for you to eat here. Looking through the cabinets revealed several bags of popato chisps and an ungodly number of ketchup bottles. Most were regular sized, but there were also several **JUGS** of ketchup. Like, legitimate 114-ounce plastic containers full of ketchup. You shuddered at the thought of actually _drinking_ the condiment, but you couldn't help the affectionate smile that curved your lips. Sans could be scary and he could be annoying, but he could also be so damn endearing.

You turned away from the subject of Sans’s strange addiction and opened the large fridge. Sitting on a shelf right at eye level was a large Tupperware container with your name on it. Curious, you pulled the container out and carefully opened it.

It was full of your favorite chocolate candies.

You rarely ate them since they were expensive and it was hard to eat just one, so they became a special treat for the worst days of cramps and cravings. How did Sans know about these? He could have found out from Leah, but it didn't seem likely that she would volunteer that kind of information. Had he asked? Come to think of it, Sans seemed pretty in the know about the whole thing. You had expected to get a lot more questions about the whole menstrual cycle, but Sans just took it all in stride. You supposed it made some sense that, since Beasts could apparently sense the hormones of others, he would have learned a thing or two about human hormones after coming to the surface. He did mention doing some research of his own when he first started trying to court you. Perhaps he learned a thing or two then.

Another twinge in your lower back quickly forced those thoughts aside. The Advil was helping, but you were definitely going to need the heating pad too.

And chocolate.

Chocolate made everything better.

You carried the Tupperware back out into the other room only to stop in shock at the nest Sans had made. It was certainly more elaborate than the nests you would make together at your house. Those were usually glorified pillow forts with a big soft pile as a base. This nest, on the other hand, was an intricately woven construction of sheets twisted into ropes with sturdy walls and a draping canopy.

"oh, hey. you're back. so, uh, what do you think?" You glanced up to see Sans nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot while his tail twitched sporadically behind him. "i know it's a bit different from the ones we make at your place, but, well, do you like it?"

"Sans, it looks wonderful. Sometimes I forget you have a mechanical engineering degree." He smiled, clearly glad for your approval. "I get why you didn't want my help with this one. The ones we make at my place aren't anything close to this."

"no!" he shouted. "that's not it! i love making nests with you. i haven't made a nest like this since i was a little kid. i'm usually too lazy to bother. the nests we make together are great because we make them together. this is-" he motioned to the nest and paused to find his words. "this is me wanting to show off," he sighed. "i know a lot of this is strange to you, and you don't get it cause you're not a monster, but i still want to show you that i can be a good mate. i'm so sorry i snapped at you and was so dismissive before."

"I forgive you, Sans. And I'm sorry too. I'm a lot more irritable right now because of the hormones and cramps, but that's no excuse."

"you're always forgiven," he purred.

"Now I don't know about you, but I would like to curl up with a heating pad and eat these chocolates."

"oh good, you found them. those are your favorites, right?"

"Yes, they are. How did you know?"

"i have my sources." He winked and ushered you into the nest. You laughed and decided to drop it, choosing instead to settle down in the absurdly comfortable nest.

"I don't suppose there's a place for me to plug in my heating pad?"

"your what?"

"Heating pad. You plug it in and it heats up. I press it against my back to help with the cramps."

"i'd have to find an extension cord. or..."

"Or?"

"or i could take care of it." You didn't bother voicing the question as he carefully arranged you in his lap. "i'm not the best at fire magic or healing magic, but i should be able to do this much." He pressed his large hand to your lower back and you could feel the tingle as he summoned up his magic. You couldn't suppress your blissful groan as comforting heat bled into your skin and eased the muscles underneath."guess it works, huh?" You could hear the smirk in his voice, but you couldn't bring yourself to care.

"This is heavenly," you muttered, slowly melting into a contented pile of goo.

"glad i can help," he chuckled.

You allowed yourself to rest and bask in the magical comfort for a long while. Sans seemed content with your choice, dozing as he held you. He kept his one hand on your back, pouring magic into your sore and aching body, and the other wrapped around you securely. You could feel the tickle of his tail as it lazily stroked your legs. You were hesitant to break the peace, but your drowsy mind had wandered back to earlier in the day and you were curious.

"So," you mumbled, "are you going to tell me what you meant earlier?"

"earlier?"

"Yeah. You said that I'm not taking advantage of you. What did you mean?"

"well, you don't expect any of this from me, so i'm happy to do it. i don't have to take care of you, so i get to take care of you. if you demanded that i take care of you, it'd feel more like a job or something. since you don't, it's my choice. it's something i get to do for you because i want to and i want to show you i care."

"Aw," you cooed. "Does that mean this goes both ways?"

"how so?"

"Do I get to take care of you too?"

"oh. uh, sure, i guess," he mumbled with a blush.

"Well, I really want to take care of you, but I'm not always sure how or if it'll be accepted. You're a Dominant Alpha. I don't want to step on your toes or make you feel like you're not doing your job or something." You frowned. "Not job like you _have_ to do it, job like-"

"like it's my responsibility. you're mine, so it's my responsibility to make sure you're taken care of. not because it's demanded of me but because i want to look after those i care for."

"Right. That." You ducked your head as heat bloomed on your cheeks.

"as long as you let me take care of you like this, i don't mind you taking care of me. i mean, my instincts might get agitated if you start supplying all the food all the time, but-"

"Sweetie, my wallet couldn't handle feeding both of us all the time," you both laughed. "So does this mean I can make food for you sometimes? I know you don't usually like to cook what you hunt, and I don't have the magic to really cook it properly, but-"

"don't sweat it. there are a couple different ways to make human food edible to monsters now that we're on the surface. plus, beasts are naturally able to eat what we hunt." You gave him a curious look. "there's a big scientific explanation for it, but that doesn't matter right now. i'd love to eat any meal that you cooked for me."

"What else can I do?" you asked eagerly. "I'm not really sure how to go about doing most of the things my research said."

"like what?" You pulled out your phone and opened up your cheat sheet.

"Tending to the nest, Caring for potential children, Preparing food, and Caring for Dominant."

"tending to the nest is basically a glorified term for cleaning. it means making sure the nest is still in a proper state, that nothing's fallen or anything, and it means keeping the den clean."

"So I'm supposed to be your maid?" you asked jokingly.

"no! stars no! it's more about showing off. like, 'look at how tidy my den is. look at how tidy i can make _your_ den'."

"So it's the submissive version of peacocking? Like you providing food? I know you're capable of hunting or buying food for us, but you still feel the need to show me."

"yes," he sounded relieved."i know you're perfectly capable of keeping your house clean. and i wouldn't expect you to do all the work anyway. even i'm not that lazy. a lot of the stuff we do in the courting process is pretty archaic, but we still feel this natural urge to follow the steps."

"It's fine, Sans. That's why we talk about this stuff. I don't mind doing some of this archaic stuff while we figure things out and get to know each other better. As long as we both agree things won't always be archaic. We can both supply food, we can both prepare food, and we can both keep the house clean."

"right. and it's not like i'm incapable of cleaning during all this any more than you're incapable of getting your own food. it's just that the thought of you cleaning any part of my den gives me warm fuzzies. not because you're cleaning-"

"But because I care enough to take care of you and your home," you finished for him.

"exactly."

"And you're not bothered when I feed myself, but you like it when I eat the food you bring me."

"yup. it gives me those same warm fuzzies."

"So we've covered preparing food and tending to the nest. Caring for potential children?"

"ah," he blushed. "well, that's more of an 'if it comes up' kind of thing. like, if we hung out with toriel and frisk, i would be more prone to acting protective of you and the kid."

"And you would get those warm fuzzies from watching me take care of Frisk?"

"yeah."

"Well, I don't know when we'll see Frisk next, but you're welcome to come over when I watch Danny in a few weeks."

"who's danny?"

"My nephew. My brother takes his wife on a weekend getaway every year for their anniversary and I watch Danny for them. He would absolutely love to meet you and then you can be all protective and you can watch me take care of him."

"i didn't know you had a nephew. you're sure his parents won't mind?"

"Nah. Jared and Sue are pretty laid back. If I say they can trust you, then they will. I mean, Jared will tease me and Sue will want details about us, but they won't mind if you hang around."

"cool," he purred and nuzzled your neck.

"So what about the last one?" you pressed on. "Caring for dominant?"

"it's mostly the 'tending the nest' and 'preparing food' parts."

"But it's also like what you've been doing for me, right? Taking care of me when I'm sick or hurt?"

"or when you just need some cuddles."

"Sans, you can always call me when you need cuddles and I'll be happy to cuddle you."

"yay."

"Thank you."

"for what?"

"For taking the time to talk through all of this with me. For taking care of me. For building me a nest and buying me my favorite chocolates."

"it's my pleasure."

* * *

The rest of the week was about the same as that first day. There were moments when you and Sans would snap at each other for various reasons, but you were always quick to apologize and move on. You ate all of your meals together, taking turns cooking and cleaning up after. While you had enjoyed the deer way back when, you were relieved that you two were eating more 'normal' meals.

You had expected him to be fairly clingy considering how he acted during 'The Bear Incident', but that wasn't the case at all. He didn't give you any trouble about going to work, though he insisted on meeting you for lunch each day. And when you mentioned going out for drinks with your coworkers, he told you to stay safe, have fun, and call if you needed anything. He didn't even seem to care about whether you stayed at your house or his or even if he was there. He gave you space when you needed it and asked to sleep alone, and he was happy to be there when you needed cuddles and comfort. All in all, things were going smoothly.

Until they weren't.


	6. Beat the Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things had been going so well.
> 
> Emphasis on "had been".
> 
> Now Sans is has lost his mind and you're not far behind.
> 
> Thank God for Papyrus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so excited to see so many people who feel the same way about A/B/O fics as me! I love the instinctual reactions to things and the dynamic of taking care of one another in different ways. It's the idea of being equals in the relationship though not in the same way. WITHOUT being purely sexual! 
> 
> And, wow! It seems like that cliff hanger really got you guys worked up! Well, hopefully this gives you guys some closure! Enjoy!
> 
> Also, check out my first fanart! Thank you Addicted2TheFic (@addicted-to-the-fic) for [THIS](https://ladyarkytiorofdunans.tumblr.com/post/182658654485/addicted-to-the-fic-big-puppy-look-at-him-he-is)!!!

You groaned as your phone rang, _again_.

And everything had been going so well, too.

You made a mental note to change that ringtone to something less annoying. It was a cute little jingle that normally brought a smile to your face. Now, it made you want to pull all your hair out. You grumbled and muttered some choice words as you juggled your purse, laptop bag, and keys so you could get into your house. It took some careful maneuvering, but you finally managed to unlock your door and step inside. You dropped your bags and kicked the door shut so you could fish out your phone and answer before it went to voicemail.

"Hello?"

_ "there you are! why did it take you so long to answer? are you alright? are you home? do you need me to come get you?" _

"Sans, I'm fine," you groaned.

_ "then why did it take you so long to answer the phone???" _

"Because my hands were full." You kicked off your shoes and made your way into the kitchen for a snack. "Did you need something?"

_ "i just wanted to check in with you. you know, see how you're doing." _

"Sans, you've been _'checking in with me'_ every hour on the hour for the last two days."

_"nuh-uh,"_ he argued. _"i didn't start calling you until 2:37 yesterday afternoon. and i didn't call you at all between midnight last night and 5 this morning."_

"My point still stands." You gave up on finding something to eat. Dealing with Sans was going to require your full attention. "You've called me like twenty times in the last twenty-four hours."

_ "twenty-three times in twenty-six hours." _

"You're not helping your case!"

_"i'm just worried about you."_ You groaned again and began rubbing your temple in a meager attempt to ward off the oncoming headache. _"i'm your boyfriend. i'm allowed to worry about you."_

"This isn't you worrying about your girlfriend, Sans. This is you reacting to my hormones and being a clingy pain in the butt. You're the one who insisted on not seeing each other while I'm ovulating."

_ "and i think we can both agree that that was a terrible idea." _

"Sans," you sighed. "Look. I do miss seeing you and spending time with you."

_"i'll be right over-"_  

"BUT! You made me promise to not see you until my hormones calm down. I promised, Sans. Do you remember that?"

_"yeah..."_ he grudgingly admitted.

"That's why we can't see each other for a few more days."

_"but i **need** to see you!"_  

"No, you don't. You'll be fine. You're not in heat, you're just reacting to my pheromones. In a few days, I'll go back to smelling like normal and we can set up a big nest at your place and stay there all day."

_ "really?" _

"Really."

_"and you'll let me hunt for you?"_  

"If you let me cook what you catch." You could hear his satisfied purr through the receiver. "Feeling better?"

_"yeah."_  

"Alright, then I'm going to hang up. I need to get going. Okay?"

_"okay."_  

"I'll talk to you later, Sans."

_"later."_ You hung up and heaved a deep sigh as you sank down to the floor. You sincerely hoped that Sans was right and he wouldn't be so high strung in the future. You had initially brushed him and his worries off when he talked to you about the whole "fertile" thing, thinking he was overreacting.

 

 

> _"_ I trust you, Sans. I know you won't hurt me."
> 
> "heat can make you do crazy things. i have no idea how your pheromones will affect me, and i don't want to risk your safety. we'll just stay apart for a few days until you stop ovulating."
> 
> "Not gonna lie," you giggled, "talking about ovulation with the guy I've only been dating for a month is kinda weird. Most guys get creeped out over periods."
> 
> "meh," he shrugged. "it's just a part of nature."
> 
> "And yet, you're still freaking out."
> 
> "i'm not freaking out," he pouted, "i'm preparing. i don't want to push you or do something you're not comfortable with."
> 
> "You won't, Sans. You said yourself, your instincts won't let you move too quickly."
> 
> "normally, yes. but we have no way of knowing how my instincts will react to your pheromones."
> 
> "It can't be all that bad," you frowned. "I mean, whatever happens, we'll deal with it. We can't just ignore each other for one week a month."
> 
> "we won't have to," he said reassuringly. "the first shared heat is always the roughest. partners have to get used to each other's pheromones and reactions. most couples spend the first heat or two apart while they adapt. it gets easier."
> 
> "So you should be okay around me after a few months?"
> 
> "yeah. don’t worry. it'll all work out."

 

"It better all work out," you muttered to yourself, "or he might just drive me insane." You finally hauled yourself back up to your feet and went about getting something to eat. The first few days of separation hadn't been all that bad. You and Sans texted back and forth occasionally but made sure to avoid meeting up. Sans had been totally fine with it.

Then came that first call at 2:37 yesterday afternoon. That was the second day of your fertility window, according to the Period Tracker app that you downloaded. Now Sans was really beginning to annoy the crap out of you, and you were only at day three. You just had to manage for another four days. No big deal.

You had been so sure that Sans was overreacting, but you decided to humor him. You hadn't minded the space before, but now you were glad for it. Your whole relationship seemed to be moving so quickly and yet so slowly. You had only been dating Sans for a little over a month, but you were already talking about getting married and having kids. You'd had serious relationships before, but they all started out casual and gradually became serious. Your relationship with Sans completely bypassed the casual stage. You went right from First Date to Potential Proposal. Jumping right in like that wasn't unexpected, thanks to your research, but it was a little disorienting. Couple that with how slow things were moving, and you were completely off kilter.

Which was another reason you were glad for the space; it helped you feel more confident about your relationship. Usually, if you were serious enough about a guy that you were genuinely discussing marriage and kids as 'when' and not 'if', then you were already sleeping with him. Half of you felt weird discussing your future together without that physical intimacy, but the other felt relieved. Sex was a big step. One that, if you were being honest, you were more than a little nervous about. You had no idea what to expect from sex with a Beast. Fortunately, you had plenty of time to relax and prepare. Sex was definitely a Level 4 thing, and you were only at Level 2.

Maybe you wouldn't have been quite so annoyed with the whole situation if you hadn't had to bypass your usual morning run. Sans had been so very serious about no contact, so you decided that going on your usual run, where you and Sans would be totally alone out in the woods, was a bad idea. Of course, this left you somehow feeling both wired and lethargic all day.

You pushed all of those thoughts aside as you finished eating. Sans may have agreed to back off a bit, but you were sure it was only a matter of time before he called again, and you were determined to enjoy the peace while it lasted. You just had to manage for another four days. No big deal, right?

Right?

* * *

Your eyes narrowed dangerously as you stared down your phone. Sans had been calling non-stop all day. You had tried calming him down like you had each time he called the last few days (still every hour on the hour with sleep breaks), but he was having none of it. Apparently, even though he hadn't seen you in nearly a week, his instincts could tell that it was ovulation day. The last call you answered had ended in a bit of a shouting match.

  

 

> _"_ Hello?"
> 
> _ "where are_ _you?"_  
> 
> "Wha-"
> 
> _"where are you?" _ he demanded. _" why aren't you at work?" _Your eyes narrowed.
> 
> "How do you know I'm not at work?"
> 
> _ "because i'm here right now and you're not. where are _ _you?!"_  
> 
> "You're at the office? And you're not even going to deny it?!"
> 
> _" **where are you?** " _he demanded.
> 
> "Why are you at my office?!"
> 
> _ "i'm looking for you. now quit being so difficult and tell me where you are."_
> 
> "No, Sans, you can't just show up there unannounced and uninvited! You could get me in serious trouble! Not to mention the fact that **you** made me **promise** to stay away from you until this whole thing is over!"
> 
> _ "i need to see you." _
> 
> "No, you don't, Sans. We've been over this. My hormones are messing with your head and you're not thinking straight."
> 
> _ "i'm trying to do my damn job and take care of you! you can't just go wandering off without telling me! how am i supposed to take care of you when i don't even know where you are? tell me where you are. i'm coming to get you." _
> 
> "The hell you are! I took off work today because I've been stressed out this whole week. YOU have stressed me out this whole week. I need a break! I am NOT telling you where I am. Now stop calling me. If I need you, then I'll call you. Otherwise, I'll see you in two days when you've regained your sanity. Goodbye!"

And that was it. Your first fight. You were glad that it wasn't over something stupid, but you were more than a little worried about what this would mean for the two of you. He said it would get easier with time, that he would grow accustomed to your hormones and pheromones and wouldn't react as strongly in the future. But what if he didn't? As far as you knew, you were the first Human/Beast couple. Beasts might be able to adapt to Beast and Monster pheromones, but what if he couldn't adapt to yours? What if you were just too different?

You refused to let yourself wallow, forcing those thoughts to the back of your mind. You weren't about to just give up. You would sit down with Sans and talk it out once you were both in your right minds. You would work it out.

He'd called back a few times right after you hung up on him, but you didn't answer. Instead, you called Papyrus and asked him to go pick up Sans. You were able to breathe easily once you could bask in the silence. Until Sans called back half an hour later.

You refused to answer any more of his calls all day. Calls that were now coming every half hour. You knew that answering would just end in more screaming, so you sent each call straight to voicemail and sent Sans a quick text to let him know that you were alive and well. You kind of wanted to ghost him out of spite, but you were sure that that would only agitate him more. No, giving him a short and sweet little text each time he called was really the best (and possibly only) way to handle Sans in his current mood.

Now, hours later, your phone was ringing. At 7:15 pm. Had it been Sans's ringtone, you would have ignored it completely. He had called at 7:00 pm, just like you expected him to, and you ignored the call and sent him a text. However, it was Papyrus's ringtone. You leaned in to get a better look to confirm that it was Papyrus on the Caller ID. Was Sans trying to talk to you? Had he stolen Papyrus's phone? Or had something bad happened, and Papyrus was trying to get in touch with you? You tried to stay strong, but that little voice in the back of your head started babbling about what a terrible girlfriend you were, ignoring your boyfriend when he could be dead or dying, and you were just brushing him off to hang out with friends. How could you even do that to him? You were such a horriblepersonhowcouldyouevensleepatnightwhatareyoueven-

You groaned aloud in exasperation, will broken, as you picked up the phone and swiped to answer it.

"Hello?"

_ "HELLO,  HUMAN  WHO  IS  SANS'S  DATEMATE!  IT  IS  I,  THE  GREAT  PAPYRUS!" _

"Hey, Paps," you said, completely failing to hide your relief. "What's up?"

_ "ONLY  THE  SKY!  GRAVITY  SEEMS  TO  BE  DOING  ITS  JOB  OF  KEEPING  EVERYTHING  ELSE  DOWN  WHERE  IT  BELONGS." _

"Well, that's good to hear," you chuckled.

_ "YES,  IT  IS!  AH!  BUT  ON  TO  THE  REASON  FOR  MY  CALL!  YOU  SEE,  SANS  HAS  BEEN  IN  QUITE  A  MOOD  ALL  DAY.  I  WENT  TO  PICK  HIM  UP  THIS  MORNING  LIKE  YOU  ASKED,  AND  HE  STARTED  WHINING  ABOUT  HOW  YOU  WERE  MISSING  AND  YOU  WOULDN'T  TELL  HIM  WHERE  YOU  WERE!" _

"Oh." You felt bad about dumping the whole mess onto Papyrus.

_ "WELL,  I  KNEW  HE  WAS  FREAKING  OUT  OVER  NOTHING  AND  I  MANAGED  TO  GET  HIM  BACK  TO  HIS  DEN  WITH  RELATIVELY  LITTLE  FUSS.  I  AM  A  MASTER  AT  SANS-HANDLING,  AFTER  ALL!  HE  KEPT  INSISTING  THAT  YOU  WERE  IN  TROUBLE  AND  NEEDED  HIM,  BUT  I  KNEW  BETTER.  SINCE  YOU  WEREN'T  AT  WORK,  I  KNEW  YOU  MUST  HAVE  TAKEN  TIME  OFF  TO  RELAX  AND  ESCAPE  FROM  SANS!  AS  GREAT  AS  MY  BROTHER  IS,  SANS  CAN  GET  RATHER........CLINGY.....WHEN  HE  GETS  INSTINCTUAL  LIKE  THIS." _

"That's putting it mildly. He's been calling me every hour on the hour for the last five days. He's been calling every half hours since the blow up this morning. He's given me sleep breaks, thank God, but he's still driving me mad."

_ "THAT  IS  UNFORTUNATE!  I  HOPE  YOU  DON'T  MIND  THAT  I  LET  HIM  CALL  YOU.  I  KNOW  YOU  STOPPED  ANSWERING,  BUT  HEARING  YOUR  VOICE,  EVEN  ON  YOUR  VOICEMAIL,  HAS  HELPED  CALM  HIM  DOWN  MORE  THAN  ONCE." _

"I don't mind, Papyrus," you assured him gently.

_ "HE  DOES  MEAN  WELL!  REALLY!  IT'S  JUST  DIFFICULT  WHEN  HIS  INSTINCTS  ARE  TELLING  HIM  THAT  YOU  NEED  HIM  AND  THAT  HE  SHOULD  BE  TAKING  CARE  OF  YOU." _

"I know. I'm trying to be patient, really. It's just-"

_ "OH!  PLEASE  DON'T  MISUNDERSTAND,  HUMAN!  JUST  BECAUSE  THERE'S  A  REASON  DOESN'T  MEAN  IT'S  ALRIGHT  FOR  HIM  TO  BE  ACTING  THIS  WAY!  FIRST  HEATS  ARE  ALWAYS  DIFFICULT  FOR  NEW  COUPLES.  EVEN  WHEN  IT'S  NOT  ACTUALLY  A  HEAT!  THIS  IS  JUST  SOMETHING  THAT  SANS  NEEDS  TO  DEAL  WITH.  DON'T  WORRY!  HE'LL  GET  OVER  IT!" _

"Are you sure? There isn't anything else I could be doing to help?"

_ "NOT  A  THING!  YOU  NEED  TO  STAND  FIRM  IN  THE  FACE  OF  HIS  INSTINCTS!  SANS  WOULD  NEVER  DO  ANYTHING  TO  HURT  YOU,  BUT  WHEN  HE'S  ACTING  LIKE  THIS,  HE'S  KIND  OF  LIKE  A  PUPPY.  A  GREAT  BIG  ANNOYING  PUPPY!  IF  YOU  LET  HIM  DO  WHAT  HE  WANTS,  THEN  HE  WON'T  LEARN!  BUT  IF  YOU'RE  STRONG,  THEN  IT  WILL  BE  EASIER  FOR  HIM  TO  KEEP  HIS  HEAD  IN  THE  FUTURE!" _

"Thanks for calling to explain all of this, Papyrus."

_ "OH!  YOU  ARE  MOST  WELCOME!  BUT  THAT'S  NOT  WHY  I  CALLED.  I  ACTUALLY  CALLED  TO  TELL  YOU  THAT  YOU  SHOULD  PROBABLY  MAKE  PLANS  TO  GO  OUT  TONIGHT.  WITH  FRIENDS!  LOTS  OF  FRIENDS!  PREFERABLY  FEMALE  FRIENDS!" _

"Dare I ask why?"

_ "WELL,  I  DON'T  THINK  SANS  IS  PLANNING  ANYTHING,  PER  SAY,  BUT  HE'S  BEEN  A  BIT  QUIETER  THE  LAST  FEW  HOURS.  HE'S  NAPPING  AT  THE  MOMENT,  BUT  I'M  A  LITTLE  CONCERNED  ABOUT  HOW  HE'LL  BE  WHEN  HE  WAKES  UP.  IT  WOULDN'T  SURPRISE  ME  IF  HE  ENDS  UP  GOING  OVER  TO  YOUR  HOUSE  TO  LOOK  FOR  YOU." _

"Well, we're in luck. I'm actually getting ready to go as we speak. I already made plans with friends. I need to unwind after this week."

_ "FEMALE  FRIENDS?" _

"Yes," you chuckled, "female friends. I didn't think that inviting guys would end well for anyone."

_ "THAT  WAS  A  VERY  GOOD  IDEA!  SANS  WOULD  NEVER  HURT  YOU,  BUT  HE  WOULD  HAVE  NO  PROBLEM  HURTING  SOMEONE  WHO  HE  SAW  AS  A  THREAT." _

"Gotcha." You paused, giving yourself a once over in the mirror. You looked good enough to feel sexy and confident for Girl's Night Out. You shot your reflection a saucy grin before softening. "How is he, Paps?"

_ "HONESTLY?  NOT  GREAT.  I'VE  SEEN  HOW  MY  BROTHER  GETS  DURING  HEATS,  AND  THIS  IS.........DIFFERENT.  I  KNOW  THAT  HUMANS  DON'T  HAVE  HEATS  LIKE  BEASTS  AND  MONSTERS.  AND  SANS  KNOWS  THAT,  TOO.  BUT,  I  DON'T  THINK  HIS  INSTINCTS  UNDERSTAND  THAT  JUST  YET?  I'M  JUST  WORRIED  THAT  IT  WILL  ALL  BE  TOO  MUCH!  YOU  TWO  ARE  PERFECT  FOR  EACH  OTHER!  I  DON'T  WANT  MY  OTP  TO  FALL  APART  BEFORE  IT  HAS  EVEN  HAD  A  CHANCE  TO  TRULY  BLOSSOM!!!" _

"OTP? Have you been watching anime with Undyne and Alphys again?"

_ "OF  COURSE  NOT!  I'M  TOO  OLD  TO  BE  WATCHING  THOSE  BABY  CARTOONS!  BUT  I  HAVE  BEEN  TALKING  WITH  DR.  ALPHYS  ABOUT  HUMAN/MONSTER  COUPLES.  MY  DATING  MANUAL  IS  FOR  REGULAR  MONSTERS.  I'VE  ADDED  A  FEW  BEASTLY  NOTES,  BUT  SANS  SAYS  IT  WON'T  REALLY  HELP  MUCH  IN  YOUR  SITUATION.  SO,  I'VE  BEEN  TALKING  WITH  DR.  ALPHYS  TO  SEE  HOW  I  CAN  HELP!" _

"Papyrus, you are helping so much right now. You're taking care of Sans and you're here for me. I really do care about Sans. A lot. I don't want this whole silly situation to come between us either." You wanted to say it out loud, but it felt wrong to tell anyone before Sans. You loved him. Perhaps it was obvious to others. You were considering marrying him, after all. But neither you nor Sans had actually said it yet. You loved him, and you planned to tell him just as soon as you were both in your right minds.

_ "I  AM  VERY  GLAD  TO  HEAR  THAT,  HUMAN!  I  AM  VERY  MUCH  LOOKING  FORWARD  TO  CALLING  YOU  SISTER!" _

"Does that mean I get to call you big brother?" Whatever witty reply Papyrus was going to give was cut off by a startled squawk.

_"sweetheart?" _ Sans's desperate voice crackled through.

"Sans," you said gently, "please give the phone back to Papyrus." He whined in distress.

_"BROTHER,  PLEASE."_ Papyrus called, _"YOU  SPOKE  TO  HER  NOT  TWENTY  MINUTES  AGO!" _ Sans growled, sounding only half as vicious as he likely meant to.

"Sans, sweetie." His growl died and turned into a soft purr. "You need to give Papyrus his phone." He whimpered. "Sans-"

_"are you still mad at me?"_ he asked pitifully.

"No, Sans. I'm upset about what happened, but I'm not mad at you. We will be talking about this later, though."

_ "okay." _

"Now please give Papyrus the phone. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

_"can i call you again? will you answer?"_  

"I'm going to be hanging out with some friends. _Girl_ friends," you emphasized. You could practically hear Sans tense at the thought of you being out with guys. "I won't answer while I'm with them. That would be rude. I will still send you texts when you call, though."

_"but-!"_  

"Sans, stop. I wasn't answering your calls today because I didn't want to get into another shouting match. I know this is rough on you, but that doesn't mean you can take it out on me. I'll see you in two days, alright? And we'll talk it all out then." There was a long pause as you heard some shuffling over the line.

_"HELLO,  HUMAN."_  

"Papyrus. Is he alright? I wasn't too harsh, was I?"

_"NO,  I  DON'T  BELIEVE  YOU  WERE.  SANS  IS  POUTING  RIGHT  NOW,  BUT  HE'S  FINE.  THANK  YOU  FOR  BEING  SO  PATIENT  WITH  HIM.  I  DON'T  THINK  HE  WILL  CAUSE  EITHER  OF  US  ANY  PROBLEMS  TONIGHT,  BUT  I  WILL  BE  SURE  TO  STAY  AND  KEEP  AN  EYE  ON  HIM."_  

"Then we can worry about tackling tomorrow."

_"OH,  DON'T  YOU  WORRY  ABOUT  TOMORROW!  I  HAVE  ALREADY  MADE  PLANS  WITH  MISS  TORIEL  AND  FRISK!  SANS  SHOULD  BE  CALMED  DOWN  ENOUGH  BY  THEN  TO  BE  ABLE  TO  HANDLE  GOING  OUT.  AND  IF  HE'S  STILL  A  LITTLE  ON-EDGE,  THEN  MISS  TORIEL  WILL  BE  ABLE  TO  KEEP  HIM  UNDER  CONTROL."_  

"You're the best, Papyrus. I don't know what I would do without you. You really are the coolest."

_"NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!  AS  EXPECTED  OF  THE  GREAT  PAPYRUS!  HAVE  FUN  WITH  YOUR  FRIENDS  TONIGHT!"_  

"I will. Thanks again!" You smiled gently as you hung up. You really were lucky to have those two in your life. A sharp knock on your door pulled your attention back to your plans for the night.

"Coming!" you called as you quickly grabbed your jacket and purse. You would worry about it all later. Tonight was about having fun with friends. Tomorrow was another day.

* * *

A girl’s night out had been just what you needed after the week from hell. Your friends had all been willing to let you vent about your frustrations without prying for more than you were willing to give. It had been therapeutic to get it all out without worrying about what they would think of you. You loved your monster friends, but it was nice to have human friends who understood where you were coming from.

Sans kept to his call schedule as expected. You didn't answer any of them, but you did send longer texts. You never told him where you were, only that you were safe and having fun. You'd even sent him a picture later in the evening. After you'd made sure that there were no notable landmarks in the background. Papyrus didn't think that Sans would cause trouble, but you didn't want to tempt him. He couldn't kidnap you if he didn't know where you were.

You awoke the next morning feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. You went about your daily routine, lamenting the fact that you still couldn't go for your morning run. One more day and then everything would be back to normal. You could run again, and Sans wouldn't be crazy. Then you could huddle up together in a great big nest and talk everything out. You wouldn't let your first argument be the one that ruined it all. You would work together and overcome this!

With those pleasant thoughts, you enjoyed a lazy morning. You got some laundry done and watched a few more episodes of that series on Netflix that you were currently hooked on. All in all, it was a very relaxing morning.

You were in the middle of making yourself some lunch when there was a knock at the door. You weren't expecting anyone. Maybe it was one of your friends from last night? Did you forget something in the car? It was possible, but you couldn't think of why they wouldn't have called first. Hesitantly, you walked up to the front door and peeked through the window.

It was Undyne.

It was strange that she had knocked so gently, but it was definitely her. You opened the door with a smile.

"Hey, Undyne. What's up? I was just making some lunch. Do you want anything?" She didn't respond right away, giving you a moment to take in the situation.

The woman standing before you was not your friend. She was the Captain of the Guard. She no longer wore a full suit of armor as she did underground. Instead, she wore an armored uniform that wasn't nearly so intimidating but still offered protection and clearly indicated her rank and office.

You had only seen Undyne in uniform once before. She had been relaxed then, still in uniform but off duty. That was nothing like what stood before you at that moment.

You stood there in the doorway for a long moment, just taking her in. Her posture was rigid and professional. There was no mischievous glimmer in her eye, and her usual snarky smirk was gone, lips instead pressed into a firm line. She was all business.

"Ma'am?" Her voice was calm and firm and remarkably quiet compared to her usual tone. "May I come in?"

"Oh. Uh, y-yes, of course." You stepped aside and motioned her in. "Undy-um, C-Captain." She turned to face you calmly, which only unnerved you more. "What, uh, what brings you here? On duty? Is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid not," she said without inflection. "It's Sans."

Your brain shut down. This couldn't be happening.

"There's been an accident."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, did I put another cliff hanger? 
> 
> Whoops.


	7. Accidents Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's absolutely terrifying how one little accident can turn your world upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about two cliff hangers in a row! I really didn't mean for Ch. 5 to end in one. it just kinda happened. Ch. 6 was planned for a long time tho! Hope this one lives up to the hype. Expect chapter pacing to slow down a bit for a while. I'm going to try to get back to my One Shots (I have a whole bunch of prompts waiting) and I want to really map out what's going to happen next before I start posting. This story is really gaining momentum and I want to make sure it doesn't crash and burn half way through. 
> 
> So enjoy! Thanks again to my Chibi Beta Ariinya14!

An accident.

There was an accident.

There were so many questions you wanted to ask, but they all got caught in your throat. What happened? Had Sans been hurt? Had Sans snapped? Did he hurt Papyrus? Oh, stars, they were supposed to go out with Toriel and Frisk today! Did he hurt either of them?! You tried to force out something, _anything_ , but you only managed a wheezing croak. Undyne, who was clearly more familiar with this kind of situation than she ever let on, took pity on you and started answering the unasked questions.

"A few hours ago, Sans was struck by a motor vehicle. He was badly injured and has been taken in for treatment." Sans was hurt. He was hurt so badly that he had to be taken to the hospital. You could barely breathe as the fear gripped you. Still, you were glad she wasn't wasting time sugar coating. "He's alive, but he's not doing well."

"He w-was out w-with-" you finally managed.

"Papyrus, Toriel, and Frisk," she confirmed. "They're all fine, though the kid is pretty shaken up."

"But Sans is alive?"

"Yes." You breathed a deep, shuddering sigh of relief and crumpled to the floor. "Ma'am-"

"Undyne, please," you whimpered. "I know you're on duty so you're in Captain-Mode, but," you took another shaky breath in a futile effort to calm yourself. "But I really need a friend right now."

"Alright, nerd, I can be both." Her professional demeanor dropped as she scooped you up off the floor and moved you to the couch. "Wasn't sure how you were gonna handle it. Most monsters who know me personally prefer The Captain when something serious is happening. Helps them cope 'cause it seems more official and real. But I get it. You need someone to talk to you, not just read off some script." You could only nod your head in confirmation as tears began to choke you.

"He's really alive?" You couldn't help but ask again.

"Yeah, he's still kicking. But, like I said, he's not doing so hot. He's a big guy, but that bus was pretty big too."

"Bus?! He was hit by a bus?!

"Er, yeah," she admitted sheepishly. "Guess I hadn't mentioned that detail yet."

"That's a pretty big detail to forget! You just said motor vehicle!"

"A bus is a motor vehicle."

"So is a moped! One will bruise your shins and the other-" You cut yourself off before you could let that thought fully form in your mind. You couldn't deal with those kinds of mental images. "How did he even get hit? He's almost eight feet tall. How does someone not notice an eight-foot tall skeleton in front of the bus?"

"We're looking into it now. The human police have taken the driver into custody and are currently questioning him. It might be a hate crime or negligence, but it could also just be an accident. Current witness reports say that the driver did slam on the brakes, but we are looking into every possibility."

"Where is he now? Where is Sans?"

"Angel of Mercy Monster Hospital."

"Right." You wiped away your tears and forced yourself back up to your feet. "I'll pack a bag."

"Wait-"

"Should I just pack an overnight bag, or do you think I'll need more?"

"I said wait!" Undyne grabbed you by the shoulders and turned you to face her. "I'm not taking you there."

"What." It wasn't a question so much as a demand for answers.

"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous."

"Dangerous?! Sans-"

"Is feral!" She shouted, giving you a light shake. "I told you, the bus hurt him. Bad. It did a lot of damage and he's not in his right mind."

"You said yourself that Sans wouldn't hurt me if he went feral."

"Yeah, from denying his instincts. This is completely different. He's already lashed out at Toriel and Frisk. Hell, he almost took Papyrus's arm off."

"Undyne, I can't just sit around and do nothing! I need to be there for him!"

"And what will that accomplish?"

"Support, for one!" You wrenched yourself from her grip. "He's been on edge all week because of me!"

"Yeah, I can tell from your scent," she grimaced. "That's just another reason why I am NOT letting you go anywhere near that hospital!"

"But, Undyne-!"

"No means no, punk!"

"And what if it was Alphys?!" Your eyes started burning as you struggled to hold back more tears.

"Alphys is an Omega."

"So, what, she can't go feral?!"

"She can, but her reactions would be totally different and WAY less aggressive. But if it was me that got hurt and went feral, then you can bet your ass I wouldn't want Alphy anywhere near me!"

"Do you really think that would stop her?" you demanded. "That she would stay away and wait for you to get better?" Her silence was answer enough. "You know full well that she would be there working non-stop to find a way to help you. And yes, she would absolutely be right there by your side trying to calm you down and talk to you!"

"And I would never forgive myself if I hurt her!"

"Undyne, please!" you pleaded desperately as the tears finally fell. You wanted to be angry at her, but you were just so worried about Sans. You could practically feel your heart breaking. "Please just let me see him. Just once. If he tries to hurt me then I'll leave and I'll stay away. I promise I'll stay here and wait. Just please let me see him!" Her conviction wavered, giving you just the slightest bit of hope.

"NGAH!" she screamed and slapped her hand over her face. "Fine. I'll take you to the hospital."

"Thank you!"

"But!" She pulled her hand away and fixed you with a dangerous glare. "We're talking to the doctors before you're allowed anywhere near him. They have the right to refuse visitors if they think he's too unstable. And if anything happens, **ANYTHING** , we're leaving right away. You understand?" You nodded your head vigorously and rushed to pack a quick bag.

You fidgeted nervously the whole ride there. Since Undyne was on duty, she turned on the lights and siren as she drove, cutting the travel time in half. Still, the drive seemed to never end.

The whole way, you tried to focus on what you could say or do that could help Sans. You just felt so guilty. Maybe he wouldn't have gone feral from the injury if he hadn't already been agitated from dealing with your pheromones. Surely there must have been something that you could have done to help him. Maybe you shouldn't have stopped answering his calls. Maybe you should have just gone to see him. Maybe-

"Stop it," Undyne barked.

"Stop what?"

"Thinking. I can see it on your face. Whatever's going on in there, you're just working yourself up. No one's going to let you in to see Sans if you're an emotional mess."

"I know, it's just..."

"It's just?"

"I feel like it's my fault. Like there was something I could have done to help him. Maybe if I hadn't been such a frigid bitch to him-"

"First of all, you were not a frigid bitch. Papyrus got me up to speed on the whole not-a-heat situation. You handled it as best you could."

"But what if my best wasn't good enough? What if-"

"Your best was fine. I don't know what a human period is like, but Monster heats are pretty bad. First heat in a relationship is always the hardest. My first heat with Alphys sucked. I was scared to go near her, but I couldn't stay away. Her first heat with me was worse. I wanted to be there to take care of her, but I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"With the way she was smelling? One or both of us would have gotten really hurt. Trust me, if you and Sans had been in the same room last week, _you_ would be the one in the hospital."

"Sans would not hurt me!"

"Not on purpose. Look, judging by how you smell now, you would have been pretty damn tempting to him. He would have wanted to sex you up good." You blushed. "You would have wanted it, too. You might not be as susceptible to magical pheromones as a Monster or Beast, but Sans is an Alpha Beast. They would have affected you eventually. Then you would do the do, only Sans wouldn't be able to hold back. His instincts would be telling him to stick a baby in you. End of story. Except it's not. Because then you'd be hurt and he would never forgive himself."

"Oh."

"It's not like he'd be a vicious animal or anything. It's just that, well, a person needs to be very _prepared_ before getting intimate with a Beast. When Heat instincts take over, there really isn't any time for _preparation_."

"I get it." You really did. Especially after that first call with Sans yesterday.

"You still want to go see him?"

"Of course I do."

"Good. We're here."

You walked in with Undyne, desperately searching for any sign of Sans. Monsters and humans in scrubs rushed around, paying you no mind.

"Captain!" a tiger monster in a lab coat called as he rushed over.

"Dr. Baagh. You have news?"

"Yes. He woke up about twenty minutes ago, but Papyrus was able to help us get him under control. He's still not lucid, but we were able to get him to eat. The sedatives are just now kicking in. We want to keep him out for as long as we can. The sooner he heals, the sooner he'll be himself again."

"He's asleep?" you asked loudly. The doctor blinked in surprise, clearly just noticing you.

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"This is Miss Reed," Undyne explained. "She's-"

"I'm Sans's girlfriend."

"Oh." He took a moment to process that. "Oh, I see. Well, I'm sorry, but you really can't be here. It's far too dangerous for you right now. Sans is, shall we say, _unstable_ at the moment."

"I know what's going on, Doctor. Captain Undyne already explained." Baagh looked at Undyne hesitantly and she nodded in confirmation.

"I see."

"Can I see him?"

"I'm afraid not. As I said, he's still not lucid. We want him to stay asleep, and the sedatives we just gave him will hopefully keep him out for a few hours at least. And, frankly, if he does wake up, I doubt he will react well to your presence. He will certainly react poorly if you're there when he wakes up. So far, Papyrus is the only one who can interact with him directly."

"So he recognizes Papyrus."

"Somewhat. But Papyrus is an Alpha who is experienced in dealing with Sans. While Sans hasn't attacked Papyrus with any intent to truly harm or kill, he has been fighting every step of the way."

"So you'd consider him dangerous?" Undyne asked.

"He is certainly a safety risk, but I'm not overly concerned."

"When will I be able to see him?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Reed, but I can't say for sure. However, I can promise you that we will notify you as soon as he is safe enough for visitors."

"Am I allowed to stay here?"

"I'm sorry. We have rooms for family to stay in, but we really only allow family."

"Don't worry, punk," Undyne said with a surprisingly gentle pat on the back. "We'll make sure you're kept in the loop." Then she turned back to Baagh. "Are Toriel and Frisk still here?"

"Yes, they were both checked out and appear to be fine. However, the human police came by and asked them to give statements about what happened. They're in one of the examination rooms."

"Alright. I'm going to go check in with them. You take Miss Reed to the waiting room." Baagh nodded and Undyne left, completely back in Captain-Mode.

"I really am sorry, Miss Reed," he said as he led you to the long term waiting room. "I understand that you're worried about Sans, but there really isn't anything we can do at the moment."

"I understand," you muttered sullenly.

"It might be different if you were a Beast or a Monster, but-"

"Wait, so you're not letting me see him because I'm human?"

"Yes and no. As a human, you have no magic to defend yourself with. You also don't have the same kind of relationship."

"The hell I don't!" you snapped. You had been doing your best to stay calm and understanding, but you were reaching your limit. "I know exactly what goes into a Beast relationship. I might not be able to sense his hormones or pheromones or scent mark him with magic, but you can bet your damn whiskers that we are in a legitimate relationship!"

"No, no!" he held his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound that way! I only meant that you can't sense his emotional state like a Beast or Monster could! Captain Undyne wouldn't have brought you here if you weren't in a real relationship with Sans."

"Then what did you mean? Why do you think our relationship is different?"

"Well, for starters, you don't have the instincts to tell you how to proceed. I'm not doubting your feelings for Sans or his feelings for you. It's just that a Beast or Monster would have a better understanding of how to act based on their own instincts." 

"Alright," you said as the tension melted away.

"It also means we, as doctors, don't know what to expect. We don't have many records about Monster/Human relationships, let alone Beast/Human ones, so we don't know how he will act toward you in this state. Beast instincts are heavily reliant on Magic. Since you don't have any magic, it's likely that Sans may not recognize you at all and see you as some unknown threat."

"Oh." He smiled at you apologetically and gestured to the room you'd just entered.

"You can go ahead and wait here. We'll let you know if there's any change." He left, leaving you alone in the waiting room. At least it was a long term waiting room, so the chairs were comfortable. You tried to sit and wait, but you were buzzing with energy. You fidgeted in your chair for a while then got up to pace.

"Oh!" You quickly turned at the sound of a familiar voice only to be tackled in a hug. Toriel stood in the doorway giving you a kind smile while Frisk buried her face in your stomach.

"Hey, kid, Toriel. You guys alright?"

"We are fine," the former queen reassured you and walked up to hug you as well. "Have you heard any news on Sans?"

"The doctor said they gave him some sedatives that were just kicking in when I got here a little while ago, but nothing since. Apparently, Papyrus is in there keeping him under control."

"We are fortunate that Papyrus was there when this all happened. I am not sure I would have been able to contain him on my own."

"What did happen?"

"I wish I knew," she sighed. "We told the police what we saw, but..."

"Undyne said he was hit by a-" You took a steadying breath. "By a b-bus."

"Yes."

"Excuse me," came a new voice. You both turned to see a human nurse with a clipboard. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with Ms….Radaguin?"

"I am Ms. Radaguin," Toriel said. "Is something the matter?"

"No, I just need to talk to you about some legal stuff. Insurance and whatnot."

"Very well," she nodded. "My dear, do you mind-?"

"Frisk and I will stay right here. You go ahead."

"Thank you," she smiled again and walked off with the nurse.

"How you holding up, kiddo?" you asked softly and began rubbing Frisk's back. She shrugged. "Do you wanna talk about it?" She shrugged again. "Okay." You gently maneuvered the both of you over to the plush chairs and sat down with her in your lap. Normally, she would try to argue that she was too old to be sitting in your lap, but she clearly needed the comfort. You sat there in silence for a few long minutes just holding the girl close and rocking her gently. You almost thought she'd fallen asleep when she spoke up.

"Sans will be okay, right?"

"I'm sure he will be."

"How is he?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not allowed in to see him yet, but the doctor said that he's resting and Papyrus is in there with him."

"Why can't you see him?" she demanded.

"Well, Sans is hurt and he isn't thinking clearly. If I go in there, he might not recognize me and then he could hurt me." She was quiet for a few moments.

"Are you scared of him?" she asked in a tiny little voice. 

"No, I'm not scared of him. I know that he would never hurt me. But if he doesn't realize it's me, he might lash out to protect himself."

"Don't you wanna see him?"

"Of course I do. But I don't want him to feel guilty when he gets better for something he didn't mean to do."

You sat in silence a while longer just rocking Frisk and trying to keep from thinking too hard about Sans and just how badly he was hurt. Then a different thought came to you.

"Frisk, are you scared of him?"

"No!" she shouted and sat upright. "I mean, not really. He was scary looking after he got hit. I'm scared to go in his room right now. But he'll be himself again when he's all better, right? He won't try to hurt us again, right?" You had to take a deep breath before answering. This poor kid was scared out of her mind.

"Right."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, kiddo."

"I wish I could fix it. I wish I could keep him from getting hurt."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Trust me, I know how you feel."

"I tried to fix it. I did. But it didn't work."

"Frisk, please calm down. Sometimes, bad things happen and there's nothing we can do. We can't change the past. We can only do our best to make the future better."

She didn't respond. You knew she wouldn't get over her guilt so easily because you hadn't. It didn't matter how unfounded that guilt might be.

"Hey," you greeted Toriel when she walked in a few minutes later. "Everything all worked out?"

"Yes. I just needed to clarify something with our insurance information for the paperwork. While they're trained to treat Beasts, they don't get many Beast patients in the ER or ICU." You gave her a perplexed look. "Beasts have to handle paperwork and such differently since they're often unable to speak when they're brought here, let alone answer questions. Each Beast has to have several emergency contacts to deal with the paperwork should they be too injured to speak."

"Is that why you're still here?"

"Yes. They released us some time ago, but we wanted to stay for Sans."

"What happened, Toriel?" Your eyes locked and it was clear that she didn't need any clarification.

"Frisk, my child, why don't you go to the cafeteria and get something to eat?" Frisk looked like she wanted to argue, but she clearly didn't want to have to hear the whole story again. She took the money Toriel gave her and shuffled out of the room.

"We were at the park," Toriel began as she took a seat next to you. "Sans wasn't quite his usual self, but Papyrus said he was doing much better than yesterday. At the very least, he was able to be out and about and around others. We weren't there for very long before it happened. I only lost sight of him for a moment, but we all heard the screech of the bus's brakes. I don't know why he was over by the road, but we really didn't take the time to wonder. We rushed over and found him half conscious. I'm sure most human witnesses will say that he turned feral right away, but I could see him fighting to retain his mind. Unfortunately, the damage was enough to cause his instincts to take over."

"And I'm sure I didn't help the situation," you grumbled morosely.

"You? My child, whatever do you-?" Her eyes widened in realization. "No! Do not think for even a moment that any of this is your fault!"

"But it is, isn't it? He was already struggling with his instincts because of me."

"Yes, he was struggling to deal with his natural reaction to your pheromones, but this is no more your fault than it is his. He was dealing with something that every Monster and Beast deals with many times in our lives. This is not the first time he's had to deal with such a thing, and it won't be the last."

"But it'll get easier, right? For both of us?"

"Dealing with his reactions to your pheromones and your reactions to each other will become more manageable. Partly due to his reactions lessening in intensity, and partly due to familiarity and learning to just cope with them. But many things can cause your pheromones and his reactions to increase again."

"Like what?" you asked with a frown.

"Pregnancy, for one." You choked at her candid response. "Oh, don't be such a prude," she chuckled. "Courting with a Beast means that you both must be considering a future together. And a family. Have you two discussed children yet?"

"Uh, just once. I had just done some research on a few scientific journals that Alphys let me borrow. There was a lot of talk about kids."

"Yes. Family and Pack are very important to Beasts. How do you feel about it?"

"About kids? I mean, I want some eventually. It's just a little daunting to be seriously thinking about marriage and kids less than a month after you first start dating a guy. So, if I get pregnant, it could be like this again?"

"Similar, but not exact. The strength of the bond can make all the difference."

"I wish this stupid bond made more of a difference. I wish I could help."

"Even if you were fully bonded, there is no guarantee that you would be able to help. Unfortunately, these sorts of situations are always filled with uncertainty."

"But isn't that my job as the submissive? Aren't I supposed to be there for him to help him stay calm and in control?"

"Perhaps if you had been there, you might have been able to help. But even then there is no guarantee. It is unfortunately much harder to guess Sans's reactions since you're human."

"I'm starting to feel like the universe doesn't want us together. Like there are all these things saying that Beasts and Humans don't belong together."

"My dear," she said softly and pulled you into a tight hug. “The two of you _absolutely_ belong together. I know it feels daunting right now, but trust me when I say it will all work out. It may not be easy, but few things in life worth having are."

"How can you be sure?"

"I have lived for a very long time. It is rare to see two souls who complement each other as well as you and Sans. Besides, you are hardly the first Beast/Human couple."

"Really? I haven't seen any."

"I don't know of any now, but I knew a number of couples long before the war."

"Really?" You sat up at stared at her in awe. That had never occured to you before. All of the research you read had been about Beasts with Beast or Monster partners. You supposed it made sense that any records of that sort of thing would have been lost to time. Not much need for that kind of research when you're trapped in the Underground with no humans. And that's assuming that there was any actual research done in the first place.

"HUMAN!" You were jerked from your musings at the sudden call. When you looked, you were met with the sight of the massive skeleton Beast who just might have been the sweetest soul to ever live. At nearly twelve and a half feet tall, he was imposing and intimidating, especially with his horns nearly touching the ceiling. But that wide smile and gentle eyelights showed just how much of a cinnamon roll he really was.

"Papyrus!" you beamed up at him. You quickly leapt up and rushed to give him a hug which he gladly returned by scooping you up and holding you close.

"I AM VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU! I WAS WORRIED THAT UNDYNE WOULDN'T LET YOU COME!"

"She almost didn't," you grumbled as he released you.

"WELL! I'M GLAD YOU TALKED HER INTO IT!" Your smile quickly dropped.

"How is he doing?"

"NOT WELL," he sighed. "HE'S ASLEEP RIGHT NOW, BUT HE'S NOT VERY PLEASANT WHEN HE'S AWAKE. HE STILL ISN'T TALKING. IT'S ALL GRUNTS AND GROWLS."

"Your injuries have not grown worse, have they?" Toriel asked. You finally noticed the bandages wrapped around Papyrus's arms. There was also a new crack on his cheekbone. Whereas Sans was all sharp angles and points, Papyrus's skull had always looked more smooth and rounded. Really, the only points he had on his skull were his teeth and horns. The crack seemed so out of place on such a sweet face that it nearly broke your heart.

"Sans did this to you?" you asked in a tiny voice.

"AH! HUMAN, PLEASE DON'T WORRY! HE DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT ME! HE'S JUST CONFUSED RIGHT NOW. HE WANTS TO GO BACK TO HIS DEN, BUT HE NEEDS TO BE HERE SO ALL THE NICE DOCTORS CAN MAKE SURE HE'S HEALING PROPERLY!"

"But he hurt you."

"PLEASE! THESE ARE SUPERFICIAL AT BEST! THE BANDAGES ARE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCRATCHES DON'T GET WORSE! SANS AND I HAVE TRAINED TOGETHER MANY TIMES BEFORE, AND WE HAVE BOTH GOTTEN...........TESTY IN THE PAST. THERE'S NO INTENT BEHIND ANY OF HIS ATTACKS. THIS IS JUST HIS WAY OF TELLING US THAT HE'S HURT AND SCARED AND NOT VERY HAPPY."

"Papyrus is right, my dear. I've seen Beasts fight with intent before and it is far worse than this. Sans's instincts might be in control at the moment, but he is still Sans."

"EXACTLY! IF SANS WERE ACTUALLY TRYING TO HURT ME, I WOULD LOOK LIKE-"

"Like the bear?" you asked.

"ER, WELL, YES. SANS VERY MUCH WANTED TO HURT THE BEAR. DID YOU, UH, _SEE_ THE BEAR?"

"I couldn't not see it. It was kind of like watching a train wreck. I was scared, but I couldn't look away. It was pretty brutal."

"YES, WELL!! SANS HAS NOT BEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT!! AND THAT'S WHY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HERE! TO KEEP SANS UNDER CONTROL AND MAKE SURE THAT HE DOESN'T TREAT ANYONE LIKE THEY'RE A BEAR THAT IS ABOUT TO HURT HIS DATEMATE!!"

You tried to smile at Papyrus, but it felt strained.

"I just wish there was something I could do to help."

"ACTUALLY," Papyrus struck a pose and rubbed his chin causing his horns to scrape against the ceiling, "I THINK I MIGHT JUST HAVE A JOB FOR YOU!"

"Really?" You couldn't contain your excitement. "What do you need me to do?"

"SANS HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE THE SMELL OF THE BEDDING THE HOSPITAL HAS PROVIDED. I THINK HE WOULD BE MUCH CALMER AND MORE MANAGEABLE IF HE HAD SOME NEST MATERIALS THAT SMELLED LIKE HOME. YOU'RE THE PERFECT PERSON FOR THIS JOB! YOUR SCENT WILL NOT OVERPOWER HIS OWN! IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO AGITATE HIM!! IN FACT, IT MAY EVEN CALM HIM MORE!!!"

"Oh." You wilted. "I don't actually know where his house is. He's used a shortcut to get us there every time he's taken me."

"NEVER FEAR! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN GIVE YOU HIS ADDRESS AND DIRECTIONS!" He pulled out a pen and paper from somewhere and quickly started scribbling. "SANS WAS TOO LAZY TO REGISTER HIS DEN AND RECEIVE AN ADDRESS, SO I DID IT FOR HIM! WHAT WOULD HE DO WITHOUT A COOL BROTHER LIKE ME??"

"I don't know, Pap. You're the best." You took the paper and the key that he handed to you.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

It wasn't much, but this was _something_ you could do for Sans. _Something_ to help the man you love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it!
> 
> See Some FanArt [Like this!](https://ladyarkytiorofdunans.tumblr.com/post/182658654485/addicted-to-the-fic-big-puppy-look-at-him-he-is) [Or this!](https://ladyarkytiorofdunans.tumblr.com/post/182988616430/looks-like-the-annoying-dog-as-a-big-bone-to-pick)


	8. Worry and Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You just want to see Sans. Is that really so much to ask?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8! 
> 
> I know it took a while, but this one really wasn't easy. My brain just didn't want to write the serious stuff. BUT! It's here now, so enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to my Chibi Beta ariinya!

Toriel offered to give you a ride home since Undyne had taken you to the hospital in her car. She wanted to get Frisk home right away. You and Toriel spent the ride chatting about life and pleasant things in general in an effort to keep your collective moods up. Frisk just sat quietly in the background, unwilling to join in the conversation.

"I kinda feel like a bad girlfriend," you muttered at one point. "I didn't even know that Sans _had_ an address. I know that he and Papyrus own the land that they built their dens on, but I guess I never thought they'd have an actual address."

"It's understandable," Toriel chuckled. "They use PO boxes in town for their mail and there are no real roads that lead up to their dens. The addresses are more for legal reasons. There is one dirt road that you should be able to take to get there, but I'm not sure a GPS device will be able to guide you there."

"Then I'm glad Papyrus wrote down some directions, too." You scanned the paper that he'd given you, smiling at the fact that his handwriting did, in fact, look an awful lot like the Papyrus font. "He wrote down exactly how to get to Sans's den from my house."

"I am very glad that Papyrus and Sans chose to stay close by. So many monsters moved away after the Ascension. I don't blame them, of course. It only makes sense that they would want to enjoy new and open places. I just can't help but worry about them all. I'm glad that I'm able to help the brothers, even if only in small ways."

"Me too.”

* * *

Thanks to Papyrus's meticulous directions, you were able to make it to Sans's den without getting lost. Just as you'd suspected, it wasn't too far from your house. You let yourself in with the key Papyrus gave you and immediately got to work gathering up anything and everything soft that you could find. It felt weird to be in Sans's home without him. It had always felt so welcoming and homey before. Now it just felt empty. You forced yourself to shake away those thoughts as you quickly rubbed your eyes to chase away the tears building there. Standing around crying wouldn't do anyone any good. You had to help Sans any way you could.

About an hour later, you had a veritable mountain of fluff. Pillows, blankets, sheets, towels, and even that one random sock that was always in the corner of his living room. Fortunately, you'd thought to grab some cardboard boxes from home before you left. It took you another two hours to get everything boxed up. It probably wouldn't have taken quite so long if you hadn't spent time hugging each scrap of fabric tightly. Papyrus said your scent would help, so you were going to make sure your scent was on each and every piece.

Once that was done, you loaded all the boxes into your car. It wasn't an easy job to do alone, but Papyrus had been clear that you were the only one allowed to be involved in this. Since you were human and therefore had no Designation, your scent would be far less likely to agitate Sans. Couple that with how familiar Sans was with your scent, and you were the perfect person to bring him nest materials. Even if you weren't allowed in to see him, you could at least comfort him with your scent.

The drive back to the hospital was tricky. Your GPS kept getting confused about where you were while you tried to get off the back roads around Sans's house. Once you made it back onto the main road and into the city, your trusty device was able to get you back to the hospital in record time. Granted, you may have gone a _little_ over the speed limit, but you didn't cause any accidents, you didn't hurt anyone, and you didn't get caught.

You parked in the visitors' lot, miraculously grabbing a spot close to the doors, and grabbed the first box to take in. You'd only just walked through the automatic doors when you heard someone call your name. You looked over to see a tall human man in scrubs striding over to you.

"You're here with supplies, right? For the Skeleton Beast in ICU?"

"Sans, yes."

"Good," he said with a relieved smile. "My name is Jason Kaine, I'm a certified nursing assistant. Is this everything?"

"No, there are a ton more boxes out in my car."

"Then I'll be happy to help you carry them in. Hey, Kevin!" he called to another assistant. "We'll need a laundry cart to get all this to room 079." Kevin nodded and Jason took the box from you.

"Thank you."

"I'm happy to help, ma'am." Once Kevin came back, Jason put the box in the empty laundry cart and motioned for you to lead the way. You smiled and did just that.

"Wow," he said, eyes wide as you opened the back seat and the trunk of your car. "You weren't kidding about how many boxes you brought."

"Well, Papyrus, his brother, said that he doesn't like the smell of the bedding."

"So you brought every blanket he owns?"

"And his pillows, sheets, and towels. That way he can build a nest if he wants to."

"Well, I'm glad. He really could use these."

"Is everything alright?"

"He's fine, ma'am." He reassured you as he began moving the boxes from the car to the cart. "He's just still a little agitated. The sedatives are keeping him calm and helping him sleep, but the scent of our detergent seems to really bother him. We use special stuff for sensitive beast noses, but he seems to be exceptionally obstinate."

"He can be pretty stubborn when he's not too busy being lazy."

"Sounds like you know him pretty well. How long have you been his handler?" You froze.

"Excuse me?" Your voice came out stilted.

"His handler. That's why you're the one bringing his stuff, right? Because a feral Beast won't respond well to the scent of someone he doesn’t know and trust?"

"I'm his _girlfriend_."

"What?" He paused to stare at you in shock.

"I am not his _handler_." You didn't yell or even raise your voice. You spoke slowly and clearly, enunciating each word carefully. "He is not an _animal_. He might not be human, but he is still a _person_. Hell, he's smarter than most humans I know."

"Right, sorry." He at least had the decency to look embarrassed over his screw up. "I'm sorry, working with ferals is tricky. We have to treat them as dangerous animals to protect them and ourselves, so sometimes we forget that they're, ya know, _not_. But, technically," he winced, "he's supposed to have a handler. Someone who can help us treat him. Someone who he trusts."

"Then it would probably be Papyrus or Toriel. Papyrus is staying in his room with him and Toriel is his emergency contact."

"Yeah, but. I mean, you're his girlfriend, right?" You sighed and got back to work moving the boxes.

"It's complicated. The doctors keep saying that it's too dangerous for me to go in there with him. They don't know how he'll react to me since I'm human."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Barely."

"Well, they want to help their patient, sure. But they also have to be careful about malpractice suits and liability. If they let you in there without knowing all the potential risks and you got hurt, then that would be a major problem. Not only would it cause problems for Monster/Human relations in general, but Sans's doctors could lose their licenses and the hospital could be shut down."

"Wait, what?!" He smiled ruefully.

"Angel of Mercy is the first and only Magic Hospital in the world. There are some clinics around, and they're working on getting more hospitals set up, but if this one goes down, the others will follow. A lot of people," he frowned, "a lot of humans don't want hospitals like this around." You groaned and pounded your fist on the roof of your car.

"I **hate** this. I want to help Sans, but it feels like everything is working against me!"

"Don't worry," he soothed. "I'm sure it will all work out for the best in the end." You nodded as you closed and locked your car. You followed closely as Jason wheeled the cart back into the hospital and over to the elevators. You went to push the button to call the elevator, but he stopped you.

"We can't take this elevator."

"Why not?" You jogged to catch up to him as he led you to a different elevator.

"This is a visitor elevator. The laundry cart won't fit. We need to use one of the service elevators. Plus, that one doesn't go down." Sure enough, there were two call buttons for this elevator, and he pushed the _down_ button.

"We're on the first floor," you frowned. "Why would we go down?" You quickly stepped in to hold the ‘open door’ button for him.

"That's where Sans's room is."

"Below the first floor."

"Yeah. It's in the basement."

"I'm sorry, did you just say you have him locked up _**underground**_?!" He shrugged nonchalantly and pressed the button.

"They like it down there."

"Right, just like those dogs. They like fighting each other to the death. It's fun for them to be physically abused and psychologically reprogrammed into heartless killing machines." He looked at you wide-eyed and held up his hands defensively.

"Hey, I just work here. You'll have to talk to the doctors about that."

"Oh, I will," you grumbled as the elevator slowly began its descent. You tried to calm down and give the doctors the benefit of the doubt. Dr. Baagh was taking care of Sans and he was a monster. Surely he was doing what was best for Sans.

The elevator dinged and opened just as a thought occurred to you.

"Wait, if he's down here, then why was I left in a waiting room on the first floor?"

"There aren't any waiting rooms down here. It's for security reasons." You grumbled about how ridiculous the whole thing was, but you kept following him. You had to go down several hallways, but you finally reached your destination.

"HUMAN! YOU'RE BACK! AND I SEE YOU'VE BROUGHT A FRIEND."

"Hey, Papyrus. This is Jason, he works here. How's he doing?"

"NOT MUCH CHANGE, I'M AFRAID. HE'S BEEN ASLEEP THIS WHOLE TIME. WHICH I SUPPOSE IS GOOD?? BUT THE SEDATIVES SHOULD BE WEARING OFF SOON."

"Then I'm glad I made it in time. I brought everything I could find." His sockets widened comically when he looked at all the boxes in the laundry cart.

"OH! WE CAN MAKE A PROPER NEST WITH ALL THIS!"

"That's what I was hoping."

"THANK YOU! I WILL TAKE THESE RIGHT IN!"

"Papyrus." You all turned to see Dr. Baagh approaching. "What's all this?"

"AH! DOCTOR! MY BROTHER'S DATEMATE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO GO TO HIS DEN AND BRING SOME NEST SUPPLIES!"

"We can't let you take those in."

"What? Why not?!"

"I'm sorry, but your scent is all over them. If Papyrus had been the one to get them, it would be fine, but Sans won't react well to your scent."

"You keep saying that," you growled. "But how do you know? Papyrus sent me to get these because he trusts me and because he believes that my scent won't bother Sans."

"I understand that, but-"

"But nothing! He won't touch the stuff you've given him, so what's the harm in trying this?"

"The harm is that he could become highly aggressive when he smells an unfamiliar scent!"

"I AM GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE TRYING SO HARD TO TAKE CARE OF MY BROTHER, DOCTOR, BUT YOU ARE QUITE WRONG. SANS IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH HER SCENT."

"And what about her current scent? Even I can tell that she's fertile right now. Sans-"

"-IS NOT STUPID, DOCTOR. EVEN IF HE REALIZES SHE'S STILL FERTILE, HE WILL NOT TRY TO HARM HER. IF ANYTHING, HE WILL BECOME PROTECTIVE OF HER AND ANYTHING CARRYING HER SCENT."

"I see what you're trying to do here. You want me to let her inside with him. I'm sorry, Papyrus, but I just can't do that. Even if I wanted to, there's tons of paperwork that needs to be filled out and notarized before we can let someone new into his room."

"I KNOW!"

he said cheerfully. "BUT HER SCENT ALWAYS CALMS SANS DOWN, AND IT WILL HELP THINGS TO GO WELL WHEN SHE IS FINALLY ALLOWED TO SEE HER MATE."

"She-"

"Fine. If you are so insistent on being here, you may join me in the observation room."

"Observation room?" You glanced at Papyrus, but he waved you on and began wheeling the cart through a different door.

"Yes. We need to keep close tabs on Sans, but it's too dangerous for us to go in too frequently. Papyrus is able to act as our middleman for simple things like checking the readouts on the machines. We only go in when we have to administer treatment or change his bandages." You nodded and followed him into a dark room. On the wall in front of you was a large window that looked into what must be Sans's room.

"We usually use cameras to keep an eye on patients," he continued, "but Sans gives off far more ambient magic than most Beasts. He can keep it under control normally, but in his current state, it's a bit beyond his ability."

"And that ambient magic disrupts the cameras?"

"Yes. Two were completely fried before we finally were able to move him here. I don't like relying on a mere two-way mirror to stand between me and a Feral Beast, but such is life."

You couldn't wait any longer. You needed to see Sans. You took a deep breath and stepped closer to the mirror and peeked in. You couldn't see him. You were about to ask when Papyrus stepped through a door on the other side of Sans's room. He made a gentle purring sound as he pushed the cart in and closed the door behind him. You jumped when a whimper came from just below the edge of the mirror. Slowly, Sans lifted his head and blinked dazedly at his brother. Papyrus purred again and offered one of the boxes to Sans.

He refused and laid his head back down. Your heart hurt to see him like that. Sure, Sans was lazy and enjoyed loafing around, but this was different. His movements were listless instead of carefree.

Papyrus slowly crept closer, opened the box, and offered it again. Sans still didn't take it. Papyrus huffed and proceeded to dump the whole box on Sans's head. The sudden action startled a laugh out of you, though Sans didn't seem to react. A minute passed while Papyrus stared down at Sans with his hands on his hips.

Slowly, Sans raised his head, not bothering to remove the towel that was caught on one of his skull ridges. Papyrus's expression softened as Sans reached up to pull the towel closer and sniffed it. You could see his eyelights brighten at the familiar scents. You didn't know if it was because of your scent or his own, but you couldn't bring yourself to care.

Your cheeks started to hurt with how wide you were smiling as Sans eased himself up and started toward the laundry cart. He sniffed at the boxes and then promptly started tearing into them. Dr. Baagh let out a startled noise at Sans's sudden burst of energy. You could hear Papyrus "Nyeh-heh-heh"-ing quietly as he watched his brother knock the cart onto its side and tear all the boxes to shreds. Once all of the sheets, blankets, etc. were freed, Sans flopped down onto them and began wiggling and squirming to bury himself in the plush comfort.

Your smile quickly slipped from your face as you really took a good look at your boyfriend. His normal clothes had been replaced with an enormous hospital gown and he was covered in bandages. You could see splints on both of his legs and one of his arms, and red splotches on other bandages where marrow had bled through.

"W-what-" You had to take a moment to clear your throat and calm yourself. "What exactly is the extent of his injuries?" Baagh sighed.

"He's littered with minor fractures. We were able to just bandage most of them, but a few required splints. I would have preferred to give him actual casts, but there's no way we'd be able to get him to sit still long enough for a plaster cast to dry."

"What about fiberglass? Don't those dry faster?"

"They do, but he's already tried to chew off some of his bandages. Chewing on a fiberglass cast would only cause more problems."

You both fell into silence as you watched Papyrus fuss over Sans. Papyrus wanted to set up a proper nest for his brother, and Sans was dead set on not moving. You vaguely heard Baagh scribbling notes on a clipboard while you watched them. These two meant so much to you. You loved Sans, and Papyrus had been so welcoming and supportive of your budding relationship.

"Doctor?" you asked quietly. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"I have some time." He glanced at his watch. "So long as the questions are about Sans."

"They are."

"Alright then, what can I tell you?"

"Why is he underground?"

"Ah, I think I see where this is going. Worry not, ma'am. This is the best place for him to be."

"The best for him?"

"And everyone else in this hospital. We keep most of our Feral patients down here. When a Beast or Monster goes Feral, their instincts tell them to find someplace defensible to hide until they're recovered. For those who are sick or injured, we bring them here. Those who turn Feral due to old age are taken back to the Underground."

"So you lock them up."

"It's not what you're thinking." He waved his hand dismissively and heaved a longsuffering sigh. "Sans feels _safe_ here. We were treating him on the first floor when he was first brought in this morning, but we had to move him down here. He felt far too exposed up there. As for being locked up, well, we rarely lock the patients' doors."

"Really?"

"Really. Sans, like most Ferals, is unable to use a doorknob in his current state. If he truly wanted to get out of there, the door wouldn't be much of a hindrance. That's one of the reasons we're keeping him sedated. He's not completely out, but he is in a dazed state. We're using that and Papyrus's presence to keep him amiable. He needs to rest in order to heal, and an escape attempt would no doubt result in injuries to both Sans and several members of our staff."

"Thanks for humoring me," you mumbled. "I know you don't really want me here." Baagh sighed.

"I have patients to treat, Miss Reed. I don't want to have to worry about some visitor running around. If you get hurt-"

"I won't sue, Doctor. And I know how dangerous it would be for monsters if news got out that a human was hurt by a Beast, feral or not. I just want to help Sans. I don't know what else I can do but just be here for him."

"You might not be able to do much now, but Sans will certainly need your help once he's himself again. Once he's healed, he'll still have a long road of recovery." You smiled and thanked Baagh just as your phone buzzed in your pocket. You glanced at the caller ID as you quickly stepped out of the observation room and into the hallway. Jared.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, sis. What's up?"_

"Well, funny you should ask."

_"Well, that's ominous. What happened?"_

"You remember that guy I was telling you about?"

_"The big skeleton beast monster dude? What about him? Wait. Did he do something? Did he hurt you? Where are you? Are you safe? Gimme twenty minutes and I'll-"_

"Jared! Relax! Sans didn't do anything! He-" You took a moment to calm yourself. "He's in the hospital. He got hit by a bus."

_"Holy shit! Is he, I mean, how is he?"_

"Not great. He's alive and the doctors think he'll make a full recovery, but..."

_"Hey."_

"I'm just really scared," you whispered into the receiver. "I don't want to lose him."

_"You won't. I'm sure of it. Is there anything we can do?"_

"No. Thanks, but you guys already have enough on your plate. Ah, crap. You were calling about your trip, weren't you?"

_"Don't worry about it, sis. We can postpone the trip."_

"No, it's your anniversary!"

_"Yes, and we've had several anniversaries before this, and we have many more to come. We can postpone our trip to be there for you. Besides, Danny would be heartbroken if he didn't get to spend time with his favorite aunt."_

"Thank you, Jared."

_"Hey, what are little brothers for? Now, how can we help?"_

"I'm not even sure, really. This all happened just this morning. They won't let me stay overnight with him, and I still have to call work to see if I can take some more time off."

_"Do you mind if we come down? I'm sure Sue will want to cook for you."_

"I think I'd like that."

You chatted with your brother for a little while longer before you finally had to hang up. He was a pretty great little brother. 

You walked back into the observation room, surprised to see that Dr. Baagh was gone. It didn't matter. You could ask him more questions later. For the moment, you just stood there, watching Papyrus encourage Sans to build a proper nest. He'd managed to get all the materials out of the cart and pile all the box shreds in the corner, but Sans didn't seem interested in doing much else.

Papyrus huffed, clearly giving up as Sans once again buried his skull in the blankets. Yeah, it was going to be tough, but you were ready to stick by Sans, no matter what. You stepped closer and laid a hand on the window.

Sans's head popped up, the sudden movement drawing a startled yelp from Papyrus. You were frozen. Sans was staring directly at the window. You knew he couldn't see, hear, or smell you, but the way he was staring, eyelights raking over the window so intently......

You whispered his name, knowing it was futile. You just wanted him to know that you were there for him. That you weren't going to abandon him. His eyelights slowly slid over to where you were standing, not quite seeing you, but clearly seeing something. You tried to pour out all of your feelings to him, your fear, your love, your determination. You knew he wouldn't really be able to sense it. You hadn't formed any sort of stable bond, after all. But, for the moment, it was all you could do.

He stared at that same spot on the mirror, the spot right in front of you, for a few more moments before blinking away. He laid his head back down and buried himself among the fabric covered in his scent and traces of yours.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sans," you whispered. "I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to check me out on Tumblr! Feel free to ask questions about the story and the world!


	9. Dial "M" for Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to talk with Leah and learn something new from Undyne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the long delay! Work deadlines got pushed up, other stories were clamoring for attention, and I got the head cold from hell. 
> 
> But don't worry! Chapter 10 should be coming soon!

Sans had quickly fallen asleep after that touching moment. You knew it was probably all in your head, but you let yourself enjoy the sappy romance of it. You spent a few minutes watching Papyrus fuss over his sleeping brother before stepping back out of the observation room. You had more calls to make.

The first call was to your boss. She wasn't happy that you were using up more of your PTO so soon, but she did eventually agree to sign off on it after you insisted that it was an emergency.

The next call was to Leah. She was furious that no one had called her sooner.

_"I'll be right over. Wait, shit! I'll call out of work and then-"_

"Leah, no. There's no reason for you to call out."

_"But-!"_

"Look, they're not really letting anyone but Papyrus in with him. Took a lot of finagling to get them to let me see him. I'm still not allowed in the room with him."

_"That's absurd!"_

"I know, but I really don't want to push and give them a reason to kick me out."

_"Alright, fine! But I'm coming over as soon as I'm done with work!"_

* * *

"Wait, they're keeping him **_underground_**?!" Leah shrieked. Sure enough, she'd jumped in her car and raced over as soon as she was allowed to leave work. You went up to meet her outside and led her to the long-term waiting room that Dr. Baagh had dropped you in earlier that day.

"That's what I said. Dr. Baagh swears that Feral Beasts feel safer down there."

"So why are we upstairs instead of down there with him?"

"Because Papyrus had to do some sneaky scheming just so I could be allowed down there. There's no way they'll let you down there."

"This is crazy! He'll heal way faster with you in there with him!"

"I know that and you know that, but the guy in charge doesn't," you joked. Your smile slowly wilted as you let your mind wander a bit. "To be honest, I _don't_ know that. I mean, we had a moment a little while ago, but there's no guarantee that he'll recognize me or that me being there will have any kind of effect, let alone a positive one."

"Wait, back up. What's this about a moment?"

You explained what happened through the window. How you just wanted to let him know you were there and how he seemed to be looking right into your soul despite the barrier between the two of you.

"I don't know if I was imagining it, or-"

"Oh, come on! This has got to be proof! What did Dr. Whiskers have to say about it?"

"He wasn't there when it happened."

"Of course not," she grumbled. "What about Papyrus?"

"He was in with Sans at the time, but he was pretty focused on setting up Sans's nest for him. I doubt Pap even realized I was in the other room."

"You said they don't lock the doors here, right? Why don't you just go into his room?"

"Because if I do that and something bad happens, it could be really bad news for a whole lot of people." She fixed you with a challenging look, staring you down. "Believe me, Leah. I want to be in there with him, but I'm terrified that I'm going to screw something up." Her expression slowly melted into something much softer.

"Hey." She pulled you in for a hug. "Don't you worry. We're all here for you. Both of you."

"She's right, punk." You pulled back to see Undyne walking up to you, still in her uniform. "You're a part of our ragtag little family, and we take care of our own."

"Undyne, hey. Any news?"

"Yes, actually."

"Good or bad?" Leah demanded.

"Not sure yet. We questioned the bus driver and a number of eyewitnesses. Apparently, Sans stepped out in front of the bus and the driver immediately slammed on the brakes."

"What? Why would he do that?"

"Witnesses say he was talking on the phone at the time, so we pulled his phone records. He received a call just two minutes before the accident. Unfortunately, the number came from a burner phone. We have no way of tracking who made the call."

"So we're back to square one?" you asked as you slumped in defeat.

"Not exactly, punk. Based on the witness reports, it sounds like Sans was pretty focused on this call. Since it came from a burner, my theory is that someone called with the intention of harassing him or threatening him. I don't know if him getting hit by the bus was part of the plan or a _"convenient"_ accident, but I doubt the caller is upset over the situation."

"Where are you coming up with all of this?" Leah demanded.

"Sans's number is unlisted. You don't buy a burner to call an unlisted number unless you don't want it to be traced back to you." Leah nodded with a frown, agreeing with Undyne's logic. "As for the threats, I think it had something to do with you."

"Me?!" you yelped.

"Yes. Sans is the master of being laidback. Someone could threaten him and he wouldn't care. Hell, he'd be pretty lax about threats against virtually anyone, even the Royal Family or Papyrus. He would take it seriously, but he wouldn't try to handle things on his own."

"Really? Not even for Papyrus?"

"Sans would protect Pap and have his back, but that nerd is tough and Sans knows it. However, Toriel and Papyrus were both with him at the park, yet he didn't talk to them or even let them know he was on the phone. The only thing that would be important enough for him to be willing to handle the situation completely on his own is a threat to your wellbeing."

You were gobsmacked. How were you supposed to respond to something like that?

"Undyne, this doesn't make sense," Leah complained. "How do you know they were _threatening_ her?"

"I don't. I suspect it because I know Sans and I know how possessive dominant Beasts can get with their mates. It goes against their every instinct to leave their mate's wellbeing in someone else's hands. He's too lazy to take the lead for anyone else, but you bet your squishy human ass he'll do whatever it takes to protect his mate." You couldn't help but bark out a half-hysterical laugh at Undyne's words. From the way you saw her expression soften ever so slightly, that was clearly her intent. "A threat to his mate's wellbeing is the only logical reason for his actions."

"So he just rushed off?" you asked, sounding more than a little desperate. "He thought I was in danger and walked in front of a bus?"

"It probably has something to do with his instincts. Toriel said he was still a little out of it today before all this went down. He probably wasn't thinking clearly."

"So it is my fault." You hated the way your eyes burned with tears. "It's my fault he's in this situation. It's my fault he got hit by a bus. It's my fault that he's gone feral from his injuries!"

"No." Undyne's tone left no room for argument. "You are _**not**_ to blame for any of this. The asshole who called him and threatened you is. I can't tell you much else right now since this is still an ongoing investigation, but you better believe I'm going to find out who is responsible."

"We're with you," Leah gently reassured as she pulled you into a hug. "Things are going to get better and we'll be right here with you every step of the way."

You were so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My inbox is empty and sad! Please feel free to ask questions about Lost in Translation, Lady's Bitties, or Undertale One Shots!


	10. Fear and Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another day going to visit Sans.
> 
> So why is everyone so worked up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait! I hope you guys like it!
> 
> CREDITS!!!  
> Thank You, Ariinya, for being my ever patient Beta Reader! Here's her ([Tumblr](https://ariinya.tumblr.com/), and she goes by [ariinya14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariinya14/pseuds/ariinya14) here on AO3).
> 
> Thank You, Ace, for being my other ever patient Beta Reader! ([@Grayscaleanon](https://grayscaleanon.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr, [Have](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Have/pseuds/Have) here on AO3).
> 
> Thank You, Fic, for once again gracing us with a beautiful illustration for this chapter! ([@Addicted-to-the-fic](https://addicted-to-the-fic.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr, [Addicted2TheFic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Addicted2TheFic/pseuds/Addicted2TheFic) here on AO3).

The next few days were rough.

You were still allowed down to see Sans, but only through the two-way mirror in the observation room. At Leah's insistence, you told Dr. Baagh about The Moment you shared with Sans. He promptly informed you that such a thing was impossible and you simply imagined it. You didn't bring it up again, but you couldn't shake the feeling that he was wrong.

There hadn't been another Moment since then, of course. You still spent every second you could at the hospital either watching Sans or talking with Papyrus. You didn't know if you were helping, but Pap seemed to think you were. That was enough for you to keep visiting.

You were allowed to take time off from work, but you still had to call in to join meetings and answer questions your coworkers had about different projects and accounts. You tried to bring your laptop to help with file sharing and whatnot, but the basement was an internet dead zone and there was nowhere you could really set up on the ground floor to get any work done.

Jared and Sue drove down to see you after dropping Danny off with a friend for a sleepover and immediately put themselves to work. You told them that just having them there was enough, but they insisted on helping. Sue cooked every meal while they stayed with you along with a bunch of casseroles for you to eat later. She also cleaned your whole house top to bottom. Twice. You weren't sure if that was some kind of commentary on your personal housekeeping methods or if it was just how she liked to cope with stress, but she seemed happy to have something to do.

Jared took it upon himself to simultaneously support and distract you in the way only a little brother could. You reminisced about pleasant times from your childhood and laughed over all the trouble you used to get in together. He also made sure to ask you all sorts of embarrassing questions.

 

_"I hate to get serious," he muttered as he scratched his jaw, "but do Mom and Dad know about him yet?"_

_"No, not yet. We still haven't really been together all that long yet. And you know how they can be."_

_"Yeah. I doubt they'll be happy about not getting any more grandkids. I mean, Sue and I might have another, but I really don't want all of Mom's 'Grandbaby Craziness' focused on me."_

_"Well you can relax," you said with a laugh. "Sans and I actually plan to have kids. Assuming this all works out and all."_

_"Wait, really? I would've thought you guys are too different."_

_"I mean, we might be? We talked about it a little bit when we first started dating. We agreed that we'd both like to have our own kids if we can, but adoption and artificial insemination are both acceptable alternatives."_

_"Huh. So you guys are pretty serious already?"_

_"That's kinda how it works with Beasts. They only start courting someone after they know the person and can see a future together."_

 

You sighed as you stepped out of your car and made your way into the hospital and down to the basement. It was only day five of this whole ordeal and you were already exhausted.

You opened the door to the observation room and froze. Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, Toriel, and Dr. Baagh were all loudly and animatedly discussing something.

"You can't just let him _starve_!" Undyne roared.

"I have no intention of doing so, _Captain_ , but I can't very well force feed him!"

"EVEN WHEN I CAN GET HIM TO EAT SOMETHING, HE JUST THROWS IT UP A LITTLE WHILE LATER."

"M-maybe we just n-need to change up his d-d-diet."

"We've tried that! It doesn't seem to matter what we give him or what the magic concentration is!"

"Everyone calm down!" Toriel said in a commanding tone. "This is a serious issue that we all want to solve. Arguing amongst ourselves is not helping. We-"

"HUMAN!" Papyrus's startled yelp drew everyone's attention to where you still stood in the doorway.

"What's happening?" you demanded. "What's wrong with Sans?"

"Miss Reed-"

"Dr. Baagh, I would appreciate it if you would stop treating me like a child. What is wrong with my boyfriend?"

"H-he's n-not eating," Alphys supplied. "Or, w-well, he's eating very l-little and he's v-vomiting m-most of that up."

"When did this start?"

"His appetite has been slowly decreasing since he was brought in. The vomiting only started early this morning. The only time he's woken up at all today has been to vomit."

"Why didn't anyone tell me he hasn't been eating?!" You hadn't been paying much attention to what and how much he was eating. Papyrus hadn't seemed worried any of the times you'd spoken to him, so you didn't think there was anything new to worry about.

"Miss Reed, there's nothing you can do about the situation, so telling you would have been pointless." You took a deep breath, forcing your anger down.

"Do you have any idea why this is happening?"

"No. He was eating well when he first arrived. There have been no other changes in his vitals or behavior. We already assessed any potential triggers for this behavior, but none of them seem to be responsible."

"What kind of triggers?"

"S-smells, sounds, humidity, t-temperature. W-we've examined everything w-we could th-think of." You stepped up to the mirror window and took a closer look at Sans. Since he was a skeleton, he was just as skinny as ever. There was no way to tell how much or how little he'd been eating from appearance alone.

That didn't mean you couldn't see how sick he looked. You could see the massive dark rings under his eye sockets. He was sound asleep, half-buried under his pile of bedding, but his expression wasn't the peaceful one he usually wore when napping. He looked haggard. You pressed a hand against the glass as you stared down at him. Despite what Baagh had said, you tried to pour out your feelings again, willing Sans to try to eat something.

He didn't even shift.

"DR. BAAGH, PERHAPS WE SHOULD TRY SOMETHING NEW. SANS MIGHT BE MORE WILLING TO EAT IF HIS DATEMATE IS THE ONE BRINGING HIS FOOD."

"Absolutely not. Adding another variable to the situation is only going to make things worse."

"You don't know that!" Undyne insisted. "Sans would do anything for her!"

"I understand that's what you think, but-"

"Captain," Toriel said calmly. "I understand your frustration, but Dr. Baagh is in charge of Sans's recovery. I'm sure he's doing _everything_ in his power to help Sans recover." The way she emphasized that word seemed almost threatening.

"W-wait, m-maybe there is s-s-something we could t-try."

"What are you thinking, babe?"

"W-well, if P-Papyrus smells m-more like her w-when he brings Sans f-food, we c-can gauge how he's l-likely to r-react to her."

"AN EXCELLENT IDEA, DOCTOR ALPHYS!" Before Baagh could argue, Papyrus picked you up and cuddled you close to his chest, nuzzling the top of your head. "THERE!" he said proudly as he set you back down. "I AM NOW SUFFICIENTLY COVERED IN YOUR SCENT! SANS WILL CERTAINLY BE MORE WILLING TO EAT NOW!"

"Papyrus! You can't just-!" The tall skeleton ignored the doctor. He scooped up the large bowl of food with one hand and grabbed your hand with his other. Before anyone could say anything more, Papyrus dragged you out into the hall.

"YOU WAIT HERE WHILE I BRING SANS HIS FOOD. ONCE HE CATCHES YOUR SCENT AND REGAINS HIS APPETITE, YOU CAN COME RIGHT IN AND PROVE THE NICE DOCTOR WRONG." 

"But, Pap-" He didn't bother to listen as he strode through the door with a swagger. You stood waiting in the hallway, though you wanted to see if Papyrus's plan worked. Was Sans more willing to eat now? You weren't sure if you should rush back into the observation room or try to open the door to Sans's room just a crack and peek through.

Your indecision cost you the chance to choose.

You jumped as the door slammed open and Papyrus flew through. Though, perhaps it was more accurate to say he was thrown through. Papyrus landed hard on his back, seemingly just as shocked as you were. Not a second later, Sans was on Papyrus's chest, snarling down at him.

"I told you!" Baagh shrieked from inside the observation room's open doorway. "I told you this would happen!"

Undyne stood protectively in the doorway with a summoned spear in hand while Alphys, Baagh, and Toriel all stood behind her. The two doctors were hiding behind the captain, but Toriel looked to be just as ready as Undyne for whatever was about to happen.

Sans stayed where he was on Papyrus's chest, claws dangerously close to his brother's cervical vertebrae, and swiveled his head around to snarl at the doctor.

Papyrus took that moment of distraction and rolled over, dislodging Sans. Sans snarled again as the two skeleton Beasts wrestled for dominance.

"W-why is he so c-cognizant?!" Alphys demanded. "I th-thought you were k-keeping him s-sedated!"

"We administered the sedative through his _food_."

"And you d-didn't bother to start another m-method when he st-stopped eating?!"

"A loss of appetite is indicative of low magic levels or a negative reaction to his injuries! Trying to pour a sedative directly into his magic would have killed him!"

"Hate to break it to you, nerd," Undyne sneered, "but there's no way he's suffering from low magic levels right now." As if to illustrate her point, Sans twisted in Papyrus's hold and managed to knock him down the hallway. You couldn't help the startled squeak that slipped out, but it was enough to draw everyone's attention.

The seconds ticked by as everyone stood frozen until some unseen command caused everyone to leap into action at once. Sans launched himself at you, Papyrus scrambled to catch him, Undyne sent a barrage of spears to form a wall between you and the skeletons, and Toriel grabbed you, pulling you into the observation room. You were too stunned to do more than follow where she guided you to sit on the floor in the back of the room. You could hear Sans continue to snarl and fight.

"This is exactly why I said she shouldn't be allowed down here! Her scent upset him! We need to get her out of here!"

"How exactly are we supposed to do that?! Those two are blocking the only way out of this room!"

"Well, perhaps you should have considered that _before_ we ended up in this situation, _Captain Undyne_!"

"Listen here you little-!"

You tuned them out as you struggled to come to terms with everything that had just happened. They continued to argue and it wasn't long before Toriel and Alphys joined in. You were still too shaken up to really process what was happening. You knew Sans was feral right now, but did he really....

Did he really attack you?

No!

Something wasn't right.

You stood up and called out to tell the squabbling monsters to kindly get out of your way, but they didn't hear you. You shouted again, but they still kept bickering. Again and again, you yelled at them, but it was no use.

Then Sans let out an ear-shattering wail. There was so much feeling in that one broken sound that you choked out a sob. You covered your mouth, surprised by the sudden well of emotion, and tears began to burn your eyes.

"You see?! She's already been traumatized enough! We need to get the poor girl out of here before-"

"No!" you cried. "Let me out! Please!" Baagh tried to placate you, saying that they would get you to safety as soon as possible, but that wasn't what you wanted.

You wanted Sans.

"Please! Tori! _Please!_ " That seemed to be enough for the ex-queen as she placed a hand on your back and quickly guided you past the other monsters in the room. Baagh started to argue again, berating the queen, but Undyne was quick to put a stop to that with a well placed threat.

Once you were free of the doorway, you took a moment to steady yourself. Sans and Papyrus were on the ground in front of you. Papyrus was sitting with a thoroughly displeased Sans in his lap. All five of Papyrus's lanky limbs were wrapped around his brother like a straight jacket. No matter how much Sans wiggled and squirmed, he wasn't getting out of Papyrus's grip.

"Sans?" you asked in a tiny voice. Two sets of eyelights snapped to you as you stood hesitantly before them.

"I Do Not Think It Is Wise To Be Here Right Now," Papyrus said in his quietest voice.

"It's fine," you assured him with a watery smile. "Sans won't hurt me."

"Human-" 

"Hey, Sans." He'd been frozen since you first drew his attention, but the sound of you saying his name snapped him out of whatever daze he'd been in. He began fighting harder. Papyrus struggled to keep a hold on Sans.

"Stop it." You tried to use a commanding voice, but it came out sounding more like a whimper. Still, it seemed to be enough for Sans. He promptly stopped fighting to get out of Papyrus's hold. You gave him a wide smile for his compliance and his tail thumped against Papyrus's leg. He seemed eager to be free, but just as eager to please you.

Papyrus kept his grip strong as you took a few cautious steps forward. Sans remained still all but for the way he was slowly stretching out his neck and reaching his head forward. You slowly extended your hand as you drew closer. Once your palm was within reach, Sans quickly pressed his nose against it.

Your face felt like it would crack with how widely you were smiling. Your heart felt like it would burst. You were just so happy.

Sans recognized you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!IMPORTANT NOTICE PLEASE READ!!!!!
> 
> I will be taking a short Hiatus from Lost in Translation for a while. I plan to try and write a whole bunch so I can organize it all and then post at more reasonable intervals. There may also be some more illustrations! And the wait won't be quite as long if I give my wonderful volunteer artist more advanced notice.
> 
> I am also working on a project that is related to "Lady's Bitties". This story has gained its own AU that is connected to a number of stories that Ace (Have) is working on as well. There is also a large project we're working on that you can look forward to on Tumblr! Once we launch that project, my workload should lessen a bit and I should be able to get updates out more regularly.

**Author's Note:**

> Go read WelpThisIsMyLifeNow's prequel/crossover story [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18212642)!  
> Check out my [Tumblr](https://ladyarkytiorofdunans.tumblr.com/)  
> Buy me [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/ladyarkytior)  
> 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cave Sweet Cave](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18212642) by [WelpThisIsMyLifeNow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WelpThisIsMyLifeNow/pseuds/WelpThisIsMyLifeNow)




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